Finding Happiness
by JustAnotherPerson
Summary: Everone wants to be happy. Some just have a harder time finding it. S&K *New Chapters 9 & 10 and Update Page*
1. Update Page

Wensday, April 23, 2003, 6:46 PM

               Again, I am back. Yes, I know, it's been almost 4 months now, but look at it this way, I have TWO more chapters ready. This time, the delay was more from paranoia than anything else. These chapters are going into highly untouched grounds concerning my writing talent. Up to seven different personalities, two different areas, and actual action occurring. I've finally found something of a direction to go in concerning the plot, and I have several spawn-off stories that will come from this story, but I'm not even going to start on those. All this from what was originally going to be a four-five chapter quick-fic. Wow. Expect yet another delay as I not only experience the horror of real-life, revamping the website using new software, AND me attempting to design a game. Don't ask, I'll be explaining it as soon as I have the new website up, whenever that is. Anyways, I have the wonderful feeling that I'm going off to places that have never been thought of before in any Inuyasha Fanfic, EVER. Trust me, once I get this stuff written down and posted, you'll be stunned, or at least amazed. Enjoy.

Friday, January 31st 2003, 11:45 AM

               I'M SO SORRY! I know that I took an insane amount of time to update, and because I fear the power of angry reader's, I'm going to tell you why it took so long. For one thing, the holidays came. Whenever a Christmas vacation comes along, I become a lazy, do-nothing slob. Never a pretty sight. Two, Going back to school was a tad bit chaotic, due to the fact that my schedule changed massively, and I had to work time in to write all over again. And Three, I had a massive case of writer's block. But it was worth it, for now I can present you Chapter 8. Three weeks of hitting my head on the desk, desperately trying to think of what direction to go in, when I came upon an Insane, and quite possibly never before done idea. And while I won't say anything about the future, I will say that in the end, Inuyasha will find someone that loves him for what he is, the poor tortured soulJ. And I apologize in advance for the giant cliffhanger at the end, but I need another week or few to put together the next chapter, and I wanted to give you guys _something _for your patience, so her you go. Enjoy!

December 6, 2002 7:18 P.M.

               I don't have much time to type this, so this is going to be a very simple update. First off, I'm back! And with me I bring chapter 7, a website, and the first chapter of my Original Story titled Of The Light And The Darkness, Exclusive on my website. If you like Inuyasha, you just might like my story to. To get to my website, look at the top of this page, and look for my author name, which is JustAnotherPerson. Click on it, and you'll be taken to my personal page. Somewhere near the top, under the topic homepage, there'll be a link to my website. Click it, and away you go. It's not fully up, so you'll have to wait for some of the special features, if you would, to be put up. Anyways, until next time.

October 21, 2002 2:14 P.M.

               I haven't revealed any secrets, but love is definitely in the air in Chapter 6. Inuyasha make's the biggest blunder ever, and Sesshoumaru finally gives in to his feelings. This took awhile due to there being almost 3000 words in this chapter. For me, that's a lot to type! I hope you enjoy this, cause I've got good/bad news. I've thought of an ORIGINAL story idea that uses NO Inuyasha characters. However, because of the fact that I will have to work out all of the past and personalities of the characters involved, I'm going to have to divert my creative juices away from FH and redirect it towards this new piece. And much to my own regret, I can't concentrate on two entirely different types of stories, because I'm brainstorming on a daily basis, and my brain has crappy multi-tasking abilities, and an even worse memory. This is the main reason I've put so much effort into this chapter, that way I can wok on the other thing without regret.

               Also, while I'm working on this other story, I'll be putting a website tighter for my works. It will be pretty bare-boned, with almost no images or advanced, fancy nav-bars and the such. This is due to the fact that I have almost NO experience in creating a website, but I'll be using the same web space as my father's website, and he's pretty much forbidden Any images I can find elsewhere, which means I can't put screenshots of the anime on it. However, it does mean I can put up fan-art and the such, which means that is any talented artist REALLY want to, they could break out those pens and pencils, and whip up a fan art or two for me to post. I'll also put up fanfics that I think are really good. I'm sure some of you are saying "Why are you using your father's web space when they'res all the free places. Well my dad pays for his web space, which means no ads and no screens popping up that won't let you in because of bandwidth limits. So, happy joy for me and you. And as a bonus, once I get this site up, I'll put up the main character notes for my new story. Aren't I a nice guy?

Anyways, take a peek at my Author Profile every now and then to see if I've put up the Website address yet. And don't worry. Once I write the prolouge and first chapter of the new story, I'll put a little something together for the next chapter. Ta-Ta.

Regards,

JustAnotherPerson AKA Ryan Wilson

October 15, 2002 9:59 A.M.

               I'm back! I this chapter, Decisions are made, Secrets are revealed, and things are alluded to. What did the healer find? Why is Sesshoumaru feeling the way he is? Will Inuyasha ever get it through his head that Kagome is NOT Kikyo? These questions will be answered in the 6th chapter, which isn't this one. But don't worry; the next chapter should come faster. I think. I had a small bout of writers block while working on this chapter, so there's why this took so long. Anyways, does anyone think these chapters are too short? I've seen some authors who put 500 words per chapter, and others who put out 5000 word chapters. I generally average at about 1000 to 2000 words per chapter. Am I doing OK? 

               Anyways, I think you'll all enjoy his chapter so make sure you read it. Also, my fic will be on a Sesshoumaru shrine soon (I think). The link is in the reviews for my story, so take a peek in there. I'd put it here, but I'm writing this on a pc without an Internet connection, so I can't get on and look. Oh well. See ya'll later.

JustAnotherPerson AKA Ryan Wilson

October 9, 2002 1:57 P.M.

               Hello everyone! I've finished the 4th chapter for your reading pleasure. I've gone through it quickly for the blaring grammar and spelling errors, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some mistakes. Oh well, I'll do a better check later.

               I've decided to put a Mailing list together for people who want an e-mail when I update any of my stories. If you want to be a part of this list, leave your e-mail address in your review, or send me an e-mail. 

               I'd also like to say that some of you might think this romance is blossoming a bit to quickly. Well, I'll admit, it is occurring a bit quicker than one would think, and I'll admit, I have realized it is happening a bit quickly. But I've decided to work that into the story, so that' that. 

And another thing about this story, this is going to go down a different path concerning Inuyasha. All I'll say is that something very dark and angsty is going to happen to him, an he will get to fall in love with someone. I won't say whom, but because this is way the hell in the future, heck, probably in it's own story, a sequel perhaps, I'll give you an initial. I/R. That's all. No begging, no torture will make me reveal who it is. If you want to make some guesses in your review/e-mail, go ahead, I don't mind. But I still won't tell you.

Anyways, I got stuff to do, so I hope you all like this. One last thing before I go… (Tears begin to well up in the author's eyes) I got almost 9 reviews for my last chapter! Such Joy I feel! PLEASE REVIEW MORE! I love reviews! I'm done. Gotta go.

Regards,

JustAnotherPerson AKA Ryan Wilson

October 4, 2002 11:31 A.M.

               Wow! I must have had a brain storm or something, cause I've just finished the 3rd chapter! I now place it here on the web for your viewing pleasure. I'm busy at this time, so this update rant will be short. I'd like to point out that I didn't get a single review for chapter 2. This makes me feel sad. I know that some people have read it, but I'm to cheap to pay for the support services, which shows me how many people have read my story, so I have to depend on my reviews to know if anyone actually reads my stuff. I don't want to pressure anyone, but I would really like to know if anyone actually likes this story, so please review and tell me how I'm doing. Thanks everyone who has read this, even if you didn't review. I hope you enjoyed reading this.

               Regards,

               JustAnotherPerson

October 3, 2002 11:01 A.M.

               I'm back! I've finished the 2nd chapter, so it should be up for your viewing. I'd like to say that this is shorter than I would like it to be, but I'm running out of ideas for this chapter, so this will have to do for now. I going to point out that the romance between Kagome and Sesshoumaru is probably going to occur than what would realistically happen, but this is going ot be something of a test to see if I can write a good romance fic period. Please review, cause I want to know if I'm doing a good job so far. I'm sure some of you can guess what will happen in the next chapter, and some of you will, I hope, will be surprised. 

The next chapter will be the catalysts, if you would, for the romance, so the next few chapters will be a bit fluffy. I'd also like to say that while some parts might be a bit risqué, and even perhaps hint at certain things in this story, I'm NOT going to write a lemon for this story, or any story anytime soon, not only because I'd probably mess up something awful, but my mother would hang me by my toes if she found out. I'm only 16, so I still have to follow her rules.

Any who, I just would like to thank all of those who have reviewed any of my stories, they've definitely been encouragement. I'm away form the Internet at this moment, so I can't remember any specific names, so just thanks everyone. I hope I can continue to entertain you all. I going to try to make the next few chapters bigger, so expect a bit of a longer wait. Till next time.

Regards,

JustAnotherPerson

September 30, 2002 9:20 A.M.

               Hello everyone, JustAnotherPerson here! I have finished and posted the first chapter of this fic for everyone's reading pleasure. I would have finished this faster, but something else had my mind for the past few days. I got Kingdom Hearts for the PS2 on Thursday, and all I can say is WOW! 

For those who know what I'm talking about, you might think that since Disney characters are in this, that this game would have a really sappy and Disneyish story plot to it. WRONG! Squaresoft definitely had a strong hand in writing the story for this one, because it has the story feel of a Final Fantasy game. If you have a PS2, You definitely need to buy this, whether or not you've played Final Fantasy games or watch Disney movies. This game just plain KICKS ASS! 

               Now for those who don't care about KH, I'm here to let you know that some of you are going to be screaming bloody murder over the first chapter due to several generally off the beaten path ideas, so I'm gonna defend myself while trying to spoil as little as possible about the this and the upcoming chapters. One, It's a Fanfic. What's the fun in reading a hundred stories about the exact same thing, just occurring in different ways? I don't mean to insult anyone, cause I do like quite a few of the Inuyasha/Kagome stories out there, but after a while it gets… boring. It's for this reason that most of my stories will likely be Kagome/Sesshoumaru or even Kagome/Kouga. Heck, if you think this one's odd, you should look at the other fic I have out here on FF.Net (A note to those who want more of "Powers", I've found a name for the femme Sess-chan, and since I've finished this chapter, I'll start to work on a new chapter for "Powers" now.) Inuyasha/Kagome fics are good, but it's interesting to see how the path might diverge from the obvious.

               Some of you might be wondering why I don't have song lyrics at the top's of these chapters like I do in "Powers". Well the thing is, this story is a bit soft. And, well, I don't listen to that much soft music, and the soft stuff I do listen to, it's a bit odd. Oh all right, I'm one of those Staind/Tool/Papa Roach people who like the sound of pounding drums, screaming guitars, and angst voices that scream misery and rage. Te only soft music I listen to is R.E.M., and their stuff is a bit on the nonsense side. So, if anyone has any ideas, mention it and I'll happily look into it. All right, enough talking, read my chapter. And make sure you guys review, it really makes my day to find out that someone besides myself likes this stuff. I almost started crying in joy when I got my first review. :Author Smiles: Enjoy!

September 25, 2002 7:07 P.M.

               Hello All! JustAnotherPerson with a new fic here. It's going to be a Kagome/Sesshoumaru pairing, so if you don't like this, than go away. If you do, I hope you enjoy! This might go a bit slow since I'm new to this whole writing thing, so have patience. Right now, the only thing available I the rather meager Prolouge, but that will change in time. And also, to address those who will say Kagome is acting out of character, perhaps she is a bit. But I personally think what she's getting ready to do seems a bit more human than just sitting by. You'll understand what I'm saying after the first chapter, but I wanted to put this out there, Kagome will be acting a bit out of character. I think. I haven't even finished the First Chapter, so maybe that will change. Anyways, this will be an interesting fiction, so please read it as I psot it.

               I'm sure some of you are wondering why I'm writing this instead of my other fic, Powers Of The Unknown Past. Well, I was sitting here at my PC, and I realized something. I had taken on one hell of a big project. I've never written something before, and here I was trying to write a fiction, that not only has an original character, but I was also trying to create a complex relationship AND trying to change how the story will end AND changing the gender of an already complex character when I don't even fully know what his name means. To sum it all up in one word: UG! So, I'm taking a break. I'll still write it, and when I have a breakthrough, I'll fire away at it. It'll be finished, but not as quickly as I thought.

               So, in the end, I'm happy, you're happy, we're all happy. Maybe we'll get lucky, and I'll actually finish something that I start. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I enjoy writing them.

Regards,

JustAnotherPerson AKA Ryan Wilson


	2. The Prolouge

Prologue: The Hurt Is Formed

            Kagome laid on her bed, her head hidden in her pillow, wallowing in sadness. "Why Inuyasha? Why?" she thought. Having just been called Kikyo in the middle of being hugged by him was the most painful thing that had ever happened to her. "It's obvious, I mean, he met her before he met me, the first person he trusted, the first he loved." Thinking this only further depressed her. "He's probably thought of me as being Kikyo from the beginning. I've been nothing more than his replacement for her." This thought froze her. The very thought of him always seeing her as Kikyo made her feel sick. "I should just seal the well and forget he ever existed. That way I could try to fix my normal life without always having to go back. But there are still the shards that I have to collect. It is my fault there spread about Japan like they are, so I can't just leave without finishing that. What am I supposed to do?"  She lay there, thinking of what to do, knowing she would be unable to face the demons without help. This brought about an idea. 

"Wait. Why does it have to be Inuyasha that has to help? There are others who would help whom are just as powerful as Inuyasha, if given the right price." She almost immediately thought of someone. " What does Inuyasha have that he probably loves more than the Shikon Shards. And who would do anything for that item." A bitter smirk developed on her face as she sat up, thinking further on this line of thought. " What better way to not only get the shards together so I can stay home, but also stomp on Inuyasha's heart like he did mine." As se thought this, something came to her that immediately shot the idea out of the sky. "But doing this would make me like the people I hate, Naraku and the others like him, always stabbing people in the back, never being kind to anyone. " Mad at herself for thinking of such things, she laid back down to come up with a new idea. 

Unable to think of any, she started to reason with herself. "I don't have to love him. I mean, we can still be friends, and if in the end, if it works out that way we can be together. All I have to do is act as if nothing happened and things will get back to normal. Then, when we're done, If he still sees me as Kikyo, I'll seal the well, and we'll walk are different paths. That will be that." Happy with this decision, she laid down to sleep for the night.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Wound Reopens 

            She ran. It was the only thing she could think of at the moment, anything to not have to keep looking at it. She reached Kaede's hut to find it empty. Mirouko and Sango having gone to find rumors, Shippo having gone with them, and Kaede must have been helping someone in the village. She sat down and cried, trying to forget the scene she had witnessed. "How could you Inuyasha?" Almost a month had passed since the last incident and it had seemed thing had been getting better, at least until today. She had been coming from the well a day earlier than Inuyasha had said, so as to make him happy. She had sensed Inuyasha in a field nearby the well, so she went to find him. What she found was more horrible than she could imagine. "Of course he would kiss Kikyo instead of me. She is the original, after all, the original is better than the copy." She thought bitterly, her mind continually darkening as sadness, anger, and even jealousy made their way into her head, filling her with feelings of betrayal. "I can't take this anymore, being continually hurt because he can't choose which one he wants. I WON'T take this anymore!" Looking at the Tetsuigia, which Inuyasha had carelessly left behind, the idea from weeks ago came back. The desire for vengeance overrode any reason she had as she snatched it from where it was and she began to leave the hut to find the one person who would do anything for the sword.

            "So I give you the sword and you help me find the shards. Is this a deal?" asked Kagome of the figure who stayed in the dark. A minute passed before the figure responded. "Are the jewels not the responsibility of yours and the half-breed? Why are you willing to betray him for the jewels?" "He's found someone more willing to help him," was all Kagome said in response. The figure thought over this for a good five minutes before agreeing to the deal. "However, there is something you will do as we travel." Kagome looking wary to what it was, was about to ask what, but the figure cut her off before she could continue. "You will find out what it is when we reach it. That is all that matters. We will leave before my disgusting half-brother finds us." Said Sesshoumaru, stepping out of the shadows and picking Kagome up with his tail before leaping off the ground. Kagome eeped at the sudden movement, and clutched his tail so as to stay stable. As they flew through the air towards a destination unknown to Kagome, Sesshoumaru asked her a question. "Why do you believe I won't kill you the minute I have the sword?" Kagome, taken off guard by the question, thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose it's because, if you're as much a lord as you say you are, your honor is important to you." "But I am a demon, who is to say I won't betray a human?" Kagome thought over that one, finding she had now answer. Desperate for a response she said the first thing that came to her. "Why are you so curious anyways?" "The answer would mean nothing to you, wench." Mad about being called a wench, Kagome huffed and kept silent the rest of the flight.

            Sesshoumaru continued to fly, thinking over the past half-hour. "Why am I doing this? I could just kill the wench, honor or not. What's holding me back?" An image flashed through his head of a little girl. A fear made itself known that if he killed the girl, it would be easy to kill the girl. And no matter how much the thought kept itself at the front of his head, he just couldn't bring himself to do so. "What is so special about that child? Why does she act as if I am simply a person? Does she not realize I am a demon, and will never return her affection?" Thinking back to the times he would say her name and she would act as if he had just given her the world on a plate. Being brought back to the present by the realization that the girl in his tail was asleep, he began to think over her again. "What did my foolish half-brother do so as to make her wish to betray him? She is beautiful even for a human, so it couldn't be over looks." Realizing what the last thought had been, he gave himself a mental slap in the face. "Thinking such things of a human. The child must be making me weak." Disgusted with himself, he stopped thinking about his current situation and simply kept flying. 

            Arriving at the camp before sunset, he found that Rin had fallen asleep and Jaken was keeping watch. "Lord Sesshoumaru, What are you doi-Whack!" Jaken began before Sesshoumaru whacked him upside the head. "Silence Jaken. Rin is asleep." Sesshoumaru said simply before attempting to remove Kagome from his tail. However, Kagome, when she had fallen asleep, had developed a death grip on his tail, using it as a pillow. Realizing it would be more painful taking her off than just letting her stay, he sat down near Rin while allowing his tail to rest at his side, Kagome entwined in it. He softly pulled Rin into his lap, whom cuddled into his into his chest, whispering his name in her sleep. Lying back against the tree, he looked over at Kagome, still asleep in his tail. Sighing at he mess he had gotten himself into, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest.

            Arriving at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha stopped for a moment because he thought he could smell Kagome in the hut, before berating himself. "Of course you can smell her, she just left yesterday." Running into Sango first, she told him that there had not been any rumors of Shikon shards in any of the nearby villages. Grunting his confirmation, he grumbled about his luck. Flopping down in front of the fire for dinner. Waiting for his water to boil for the ramen cup that Kagome had bribed him with so that she could go home, Shippo came near enough to smell him. "Ew. Inuyasha, you smell like dead stuff and a bunch of mud. What'd you do, run around a graveyard?" Pissed that Shippo had said that, secretly glad that Kagome wasn't here to hear that, he whacked him over the head to shut him up. "Stupid Fox! There was a weak demon I took care of, cause it was bugging me." He said to the fox that was rubbing his head. Noticing a look from Kaede out of the corner of his eye, he knew she suspected differently. His water boiled, he made his ramen and left the hut, heading off towards the God-Tree. As he ate his ramen, he thought over Kagome, and her connection to Kikyo. "I wonder why the hell that bitch doesn't admit to being a reincarnation of Kikyo. She acts as if it's the most horrible thing that could have happened to her. As is, I continually have to be careful to not call her Kikyo, they smell so alike." Snorting, he tried to think what was wrong with the idea. "True, the Kikyo she knows now is pretty bad, but that shell is only what Kagome does not feel, all the hate Kikyo had from when she was alive. Kagome is everything Kikyo hid away because she was a miko, everything that made me love her." Knowing that he would have to set the shell of his lover to rest, he realized that he would also have to make Kagome realize what she was. Finished with his ramen, he laid back in into his tree, closing his eyes for a nap, one last thought filtering through his head. "Why the hell does my love life have to be so complicated?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------Kagome's Dream-Nightmare----------------------------------------------------------------

            She was standing there watching Inuyasha walking up to me, holding a mirror in his hands. He presented it to me, motioning for me to look in it. Looking in it, I was temporarily stunned. In the mirror, starring back was Kikyo. Dropping the mirror, I looked back at Inuyasha. He pulled me into a hug, moving so as to kiss me. Frozen by the wanting of this, I simply looked back, my heart warmed by the caring in his eyes. Just before the kiss connected, he whispered something that froze my blood. "My beloved Kikyo," Was all that he said. Yet those simple three words had the force of a hammer. She pulled away from Inuyasha, running into the nearby woods, running from the hammer that broke my heart. Running deeper into the woods, the sun being drowned out by the trees, the trees themselves becoming black and distorted, she didn't feel fear, so lost was she in her grief. Finally, she came upon a spring. Se was temporarily pulled out of her grief at the sight of it. All around her were cherry trees in full blossom, and the spring itself was beautiful, a lone Weeping Willow tree in the middle. She sat down on a rock near the lake, putting her face in her hands, allowing her grief to be expressed in this place. However, as she cried, she failed to realize she was being pulled into someone's lap. Only knowing that something soft was in front of her, she cuddled her face into it, still crying, being calmed by words of kindness that she didn't hear, but knew were being said. A hand pet her hair, another rested on her back. When she was calm, she looked up to see who it was, yet when she did the person disappeared. Calling out to the person, a voice whispered, "Find me." As the voice faded, she awoke.

            She opened her eyes wide, gasping for breath, stunned as she lay there, covered in something soft and warm. As reason returned to her as she allowed the memories of the dream to fade, she realized what the "Soft and Warm" something she was wrapped in was. Off to the side of her was Sesshoumaru, lying back against the tree, asleep, and she was wrapped up into his tail. Turing a scarlet red, it toke her a moment to realize that something was in Sesshoumaru's lap. "Is that… a girl?" she tried to get a closer look, but her moving around only caused his tail to tighten. Realizing any actions she tried now would be in vain, she settled back down into his tail. "God, his tails softer than silk. I wish my hair was this soft," she thought as she cuddled up, her head resting in the fur, the warmth slowly lulling her into a thankfully dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Healing Begins 

Sesshoumaru's Dream

            It was the same dream as usual. A garden with cherry trees, a lake, and a lone tree in the middle, it's branches drooping, almost as if weeping. He sat in one of the cherry trees, trying to understand why he was here, when he noticed someone crying on a rock. Normally, he would have cared little, yet a feeling began to make itself known, one he hadn't felt for many years. It had been so long he had forgotten its name, yet it was strong, tearing him up on the inside. Realizing that if he didn't do something, it would kill him. Moving towards the women, he sat down near her, trying to figure out what to do, he remembered a half-forgotten memory of something his mother had done when he was a child. Pulling the woman into his lap, he began to pet her hair with one hand and placed his other hand on her back, his tail encircling both of them. She cried into his chest, slowly subsiding into sniffles, as Sesshoumaru's comforting calmed her, lulling her into sleep. A warmth spreading through him, warmth he only remembered in his oldest memories. Laying his face in her hair, inhaling the woman's comforting scent penetrating his mind, numbing his senses as sleep begin to enter his mind. He closed his eyes, a slight purring emitting from his chest as he fell into a deeper sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------Real Life--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

            He awoke to the singing of morning birds, the afterglow of an already forgotten dream in his heart. Rin was still asleep in his arms, Jaken in the middle of the clearing where he had knocked him out. The wench had shifted so that she no longer griped his tail like a rope. Deciding that he should take advantage of this, he slowly placed Rin on the ground, knowing she would awaken soon. He slowly shifted the wench out of his tail, laying her on the ground as well, catching her scent for just a moment as he bent over. The scent seemed familiar in some way, making his heartbeat faster. A slight purr begins to emit from his chest as he instinctively bent over to smell her scent better, wanting more of the smell. Quite sadly for all of the Sesshoumaru's fan girls, Kagome took this as a sign that she should wake up. His eyes closed and his mind in a little heaven of it's own, Sesshoumaru failed to notice the awakening woman beneath him. I shall merely say that Kagome's eyes opened to a great big surprise.

Later that morning… 

            They were walking down a road out in the middle of no-where, supposedly towards Sesshoumaru's Castle. In the lead was a Dog Demon, a hand-shaped red mark still apparent on his face, a bit behind him was little girl running around a little green thing that moved somehow, and farther behind was a flustered Girl in odd clothes looking down at the ground. The Girl and The Demon seemed to be especially wary of each other. The Demon suddenly stopped causing the Girl to bounce into his back. The Demon began to slightly growl at her, still angry over the incident this morning. "Hey, don't growl at me! You're the one who was stalking me this morning!" Said the girl unto the demon. The little green thing took this as a chance to defend/suck up to his lord. "It matters not what his lordship was doing! One does not slap the Western Lord, most especially a human wench!" he yelled at her. The girl became especially made at the last bit, kicking the little green thing a good 20 feet away. The girl returned her attention back to the demon. "Why did you stop anyway?" The demon grunted. "There is a demon near, wench. Can you not sense it?" "My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me. It is not wench!" she yelled at him, still feeling flustered to find him over her while she was sleeping. "No, I can't sense it. Are you sure there is a-" Kagome was interrupted as Rin screamed. Both Kagome and Sesshoumaru spun around to see a demon had nabbed Rin. As Kagome pulled out her bow, Sesshoumaru immediately leapt at the demon with his blade, yet the demon moved faster than Sesshoumaru. It jumped up into a tree, leaving behind a note before disappearing. Sesshoumaru caught the note as it floated down, reading it before dropping it. Kagome caught up, picking the note up from the ground. "You are hereby invited to the execution to the child, unless you give me the Jewel shards. Naraku" Kagome read, the other side having a map of the area, with an X on a specific location. As she looked over the note, she heard a deep growl from Sesshoumaru. Looking up, she was surprised by what she saw. His hands were clenched to the point of drawing blood, his body tense, and his eyes starting to change to a red color. She was both scared of what he would do, and surprised that he would let his cool disappear over a child, a human child all the more. "Perhaps he isn't as cold as he seems…" she thought, walking up behind him.

            He was quite officially pissed. "How DARE he use my human child as bait! He will PAY!" He felt his rage overwhelm him as his protective instincts begin to overwhelm his thoughts, his blood boiling, pushing him towards a blood rage. He felt a finger tap his shoulder, so he snapped his head around, to stare at whoever would DARE to interrupt him. The wench backed up a bit, her eyes showing a bit of fear. He was snapped out of his rage by what he saw in her hands however. She was holding the Tetsusaiga. "I'll give this to you, but only if you use it to save Rin." Said the girl, as she held the blade close to her. Holding back his rage at her, he was slightly impressed that she would actually face him when he was enraged. He nodded slightly, which she took as agreement. She slowly held the blade out for him to take. He wrapped his hand around the hilt, surprised when it didn't try to burn him, especially since he did not have a human hand. The girl, apparently noticing his surprise, said, "It will only protect humans, so don't expect to kill me with it." A slight smile on her face as he placed the blade in his sash, within easy unsheathing range. He suddenly picked her up in his arms, leaping into the air. She yelped as he picked her up, throwing her hands around his neck out of instinct. "He he hey, what are you doing?!" she said, taken totally off guard. Sesshoumaru snorted before saying, "We have little time, and waiting for your weak human legs to catch up will take to long." He knew that he would need her near Naraku because of her Miko powers. No doubt that Naraku would use some underhanded trick to try to destroy him, so he would need someone to protect Rin, and despite her being human, he had seen her powers before. "The wen… no, Kagome will definitely do her best to protect Rin, which will leave me free to concentrate on the creature," thought Sesshoumaru, deciding that Kagome was worthy of at least him thinking her name. As he flew in the direction the map had marked, he knew little of what would happen, something that would change the way he thought of several people, most of all, Kagome.

            "Ku Ku Ku. Soon, the Shikon no Tama will be mine, as well as Kikyo." Thought Naraku, as he looked through Kanna's mirror. As he watched the demon and the human flying towards the child's location, he thought over his plan. "Ku Ku Ku. Little does Sesshoumaru know how powerful this puppet f mine is. It will be just as interesting to see how he reacts when Inuyasha arrives, after informing him of the kidnapping of his precious reincarnate and his blade with her. And a little surprise for both the reincarnate and the hanyou, when the hanyou is forced to chose. Yes, this will be the happiest day ever. The emotions of betrayal, pain, and angst will be a wonderful feeling. He laughed maniacally as the scene shifted to where his puppet had taken the child, with a certain priestess standing nearby, her bow ready to fire. Little did Naraku realize how his plans would only help bring about his downfall.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:The Battle Of Hearts 

            Sitting on the ground in the middle of a clearing, tied in ropes was Rin. Off to the side was the creature that had taken her, sharpening it's blades, and to the other, hidden in a tree, was Kikyo. "You'll never defeat Sesshoumaru-sama! He'll come and save Rin! You'll see!" Rin was screaming at the creature. The creature simply responded with "Shut up." Before kicking her across the clearing, knocking her unconscious. In her tree, Kikyo was thinking over what would she would do. "When that reincarnation of mine arrives, I will take my soul back. Then, with no one to save him, I shall drag Inuyasha to hell where he belongs, eternal punishment for both of us." She thought, a twisted smirk coming to her lips. "Soon Inuyasha. Soon you will be mine."

            Sesshoumaru landed a short distance away from where the clearing was supposed to be. Placing Kagome on the ground, he watched as she prepared her bow. He was always ready for battle, so he usually had no need to check his weapons, but for curiosity's sake, he touched the Tetsusaiga's hilt. He was unsurprised that it would once again not allow him to touch it. "Damn, I was planning to end this fight quickly." Thought Sesshoumaru, knowing that had he been able to draw it, he could end the battle with a single swipe. "I'm ready." he heard from the wench. Looking up, he was greeted with the sight of a determined looking Kagome, holding the bow in a ready position, an arrow already strung. Nodding, he turned towards the clearing and began to walk through the trees, Kagome following.

            When they arrived at the clearing, they saw the creature standing, obviously waiting for them. "Where's Rin?" Kagome yelled at the creature. It simply nodded to the side of the clearing. Turning to look, they saw Rin sprawled on the ground, wrapped in ropes. Kagome began to run over before Sesshoumaru pulled her back suddenly. Where Kagome was standing was an arrow in the ground, a dark aura surrounding it. Kagome quickly looked where the arrow came from to see her worst enemy. "Kikyo…" Seeing that Kikyo had already stung another arrow, she ducked behind a tree to get her own ready. Looking at Sesshoumaru from behind the tree, she saw him clashing with the creature. "Why isn't he using the Tetsusaiga?" Pulling her head back as her power flared, an arrow thwacked where here head had been. Kagome felt an unfamiliar feeling burning in her as she started thinking. "She's shot me twice. She thinks she can kill me. She can't kill me, that stupid bitch! I'm gonna show her!" Rage beginning to fill her she spun out from behind the tree, shot an arrow, and dodged behind another tree. "Damn her! I'm not weak! " She thought as she prepared the next arrow. "I'll show them all who's stronger. I'll show them." 

"Damn it! Why can't I sense his presence? How is he hiding his aura?" thought Sesshoumaru as he fought the creature, both of them evenly matched. Sesshoumaru's speed and strength were equal to the creature's agility and stealth. However, the creature was wearing down Sesshoumaru, for several blows had landed upon him. Off to the side, he could hear arrows flying in rapid fire, neither one hitting the other. Deciding to see how powerful the demon was, he used the poison from his hand. The creature simply dodged the poison. It pulled out a throwing star, and threw it at him. Unable to dodge, he prepared to block the tossed object. Suddenly, an arrow intercepted the star. Taking a quick look at Kagome, he saw her duck behind a tree an arrow flew towards her. He also noticed that she was running out of arrows. "I need to end this soon, or both Rin's and the girl's lives will be in peril." He returned to battering upon the creature with renewed strength.

            She knew she was almost out. In fact, she was on her last arrow. "Damn. I need to make this one count." Whirling out from behind the tree, she dodged Kikyo's arrow, and took careful aim at Kikyo. "Almost…almost… got it!" she yelled the last part as she released the arrow, which impaled itself in the golem's thigh. Kikyo grasped the arrow, her eyes blazing with anger at being best by a replica. Exhausted, her rage burned out, Kagome diverted her attention when she heard the unconscious Rin awakening. She began to move towards her when she heard the sound of a bowstring stretching. Looking behind, she saw Kikyo stringing an arrow. "She's aiming to high, she'll never hit me." Trying to figure out what Kikyo was doing, she looked behind her at Rin, when it clicked. "She's not aiming at me…" Panic slowly filling her as she realized that Kikyo was aiming at Rin. Out of arrows, Kagome did the only thing she could. She began to run towards Rin when she heard the arrow firing. She swirled around, and threw herself into the arrows path. It struck her below the heart, it dark power flowing through her body. " Mother, I'm sorry…" was the last thought that drifted through her head as her lifeblood flowed out her wound.

            Sesshoumaru was desperately trying to end the fight because the creature was gaining the upper hand, when he heard Rin shout. He pushed the creature back as he jumped towards a sight that froze his blood. Lying on the ground was Kagome, an arrow impaled below her heart, her blood flowing freely from the wound. "Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome's hurt and she's not talking and Rin's scared." Said Rin, tears flowing freely. He looked at her face to her eyes still open, yet they seemed empty and dull, lifeless almost. He heard the incoming arrow, spun around, and shattered it with his hand. In the tree was the walking corpse and on the ground was the creature. As the creature walked towards him, Sesshoumaru felt a feeling in him, something unfamiliar towards him. It was some type of anger, one he had not felt before. He had experienced anger, rage, even jealousy, and he had contained them all behind his mask. This time however, the rage would not be contained. It would not be tamed by his control; it would not hide behind his cold face. The Tetsusaiga began to pulse as his protective instincts, long held within, burst from there cage. He placed his hand upon the blade, the pulse spreading through his body as he let the cold rage loose, his control over his body still present, yet he felt the fury overwhelm his mind as he drew the Tetsusaiga, it transforming into a blade of power. The creature leapt at him, it's blades all pointed at him. His head bowed towards the ground, he lifted his head, instilling the creature with its first and last experience of fear. For Sesshoumaru's face was contorted with fury, his eyes a bone chilling red, he emanated an aura of power as he held the blade at his side, bringing it up in a huge swing, power exploding from the blade when it pierced the creatures flesh, annihilating the being once known as the creature. 

As the dust settled, the Dog Demon looked up, staring at the walking corpse. Kikyo gasped as she saw the look, knowing that if she didn't run, she would not last long against this monster.  She began to flee when the first blast of power blew he out of the tree, directly into the path of Inuyasha, who had just arrived due to a note from a Naraku puppet. He caught Kikyo, comforting her a bit before putting her on the ground, to take on Sesshoumaru. Looking up, he saw that Sesshoumaru had already turned around, the Tetsusaiga in it's sheath walking towards a little girl and a body on the ground. Sniffing the air he realized who it was. "Let Kagome go, you Basterd!" yelled Inuyasha as he reached for a blade that he did not have. Inuyasha swore under his breath as he remembered that Sesshoumaru had the Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, had ignored his half-brother, taking off his outer shirt, tearing off a bit to help clot the wound, and wrapped the rest around the girl for warmth, as she had started shivering. "Rin, get on my back." Said Sesshoumaru, his voice a whisper. Rin nodded, climbing on his back, his tail wrapping around her. He gently picked up Kagome, cuddling her into his arms, uncaring of the blood staining his shirt. He began to walk away when Inuyasha began his yelling again, Miroku and Sango having caught up. "What have you done to Kagome!" Sesshoumaru's back straightened, as the rage began to build, and was as quickly extinguished, as he whispered the only response he planned to give. "I, Sesshoumaru, have done nothing. It is the corpse you treat so kindly that you should ask what has been done." With that, he jumped into the air, Sesshoumaru putting as much power as possible into speed, knowing of a healer nearby that had much experience in such wounds. He left behind a stupefied Inuyasha and two humans who were staring at a living corpse that was passed out on the ground. 


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Asking Why 

            Sesshoumaru sat outside the cave, awaiting word from the healer as to how the girl was doing. Rin was sitting in his lap, sleeping. She had cried for the first hour, before falling asleep from exhaustion. Jaken was sitting on the other side of the cave entrance, not saying a word, for when he had caught up, before he could even ask a question of his lord, Sesshoumaru had given him a look. Jaken had almost run away from him, for the look had perhaps been the most terrifying thing he had ever seen from his lord. So, he had simply sat down on the other side of the cave, waiting, pondering why his lord was acting as he was. 

As to what Sesshoumaru his self was thinking, he was horribly confused over what had occurred the past few hours. "Why did I lose control like that?" he thought, noticing that he still had some adrenaline running through his veins. He remembered how it had felt when he realized what happened to Kagome, seeing the arrow in her chest. He had never known he could feel rage so powerful, yet so controlled. Even when he had his arm cut off by his fool half-brother, he had never felt such emotions. What worried him more were the other emotions that had been covered by the rage. Sorrow. Emptiness. Helplessness. It had been many years since he had felt any of these; so long he had almost forgotten what the felt like. The only reason he hadn't was because of why he had felt them… He instantly pulled his thoughts away from those memories. He refused to drown himself in past events. All that mattered was the now. "Obviously, I'll have to keep the girl around longer, so as to see if I can understand why I felt as I did." He had traveled with the girl for all of two days and he was acting as if she was his mate or something… He gave himself a mental slap for the last thought, disgusted with himself for making such an analogy. He needed to figure out what had made him so weak inside, before it destroyed him. "But has it truly made you weak? You have never been able to use the Tetsusaiga before…" he thought, remembering the power that had come form the blade. Even when he had been able to wield it with a human arm, it hadn't felt so… right. Even more, he had used it with his demon arm, which he had never been able to do. "What was it she had said? You can only use it to protect humans?" he thought over this, realizing that his father would have indeed made the seal on the blade work so. In fact, he was surprised he hadn't thought of it earlier.

As he sat there waiting, the healer came out of her cage. Looking over at the healer, he was once again surprised at her looks. Despite the fact that it was said that she over 1000 years old, she looked no older than 30. Yet further proof that demons could indeed live quite awhile if they survived to live that long. She motioned for him to follow. He carefully placed Rin on the ground, standing up. Following the healer into the cave, he stopped a moment, telling Jaken to watch Rin, entering the cave before Jaken could respond. He remained silent while following the healer deeper into the cave, until they entered a lighted cavern. He could smell many herbs and potions, the room smelling overall clean and healthy. On a bed in the corner of the room was the girl, Kagome. He walked over closer to her, looking her over. Her shirt had been removed, but bandages covered her chest. The bandages where the arrow had been were slightly red, and he could smell blood near her. "It took a great amount of work to stop the bleeding." Said the healer, snapping Sesshoumaru out of his observations. Looking over at the healer, she was going through her jars, looking for something. "The dark aura around the arrow not only caused the arrow to become magically fixed to her chest, but after I finally removed it, it prevented the wound from closing. I had to not only stop the bleeding, but destroy the aura as well." The healer continued. "Will she live?" was all Sesshoumaru asked of her. "Oh yes, she might very well recover from this. She will need to stay here for another day or two, and she will need to stay in bed for the next week or so. She lost quite a bit of blood." Nodding at this, he returned his attention to the girl, when he noticed something. All the muscles in her face were tensing up, as if she was in pain. Just as he was about to ask the healer of this, she beat him to it as she came over with a potion of some sort in her hand. "The aftereffects of one of my herbs are starting to take effect, causing her a bit of pain. It will wear off by the morning. This potion here will numb her a bit, putting her in a painless sleep for the night." She said as she began to pour the odd smelling mixture down the girl's throat. As she tended the girl, the healer said, "You need not worry about payment. The challenge of fighting not only her bleeding, but the dark aura as well, was invigorating. It has been many years since I've had to work so hard." Simply nodding, Sesshoumaru continued to watch the girl, her face becoming lax as the medicine took effect. When the healer had her back turned to them, looking through her bottles again, he knelt down near the bed, allowing himself a closer view. He took in her scent, a sweet and clean smell that tickled his nose. He moved his hand near her face, pushing a bit of hair away from her face. He looked at her, trying to decipher her secrets, trying to figure out why she did what she did. No living creature that he knew of, human or demon, would do as she did. Standing up before the healer saw, he began to walk out of the cave, pausing only to speak to the healer. "You will inform me when she may leave, or if something should change." Leaving before she could respond, he left the cavern, exiting the cave. He prepared himself for a hunt, knowing that Rin would be hungry tonight. Taking one last look at the cave, he moved with his demon speed into the forest, scenting the air for any prey nearby.

            A good distance away, a certain hanyou, with his companions, a kitsune, a priest, and a demon hunter, were attempting to track our favorite dog-demon. The conversation between these four fellows was anything but friendly. "How could you compare Kagome and Kikyo? They are entirely different, even when Kikyo was alive!" exclaimed Miroku, echoing the general sentiment between him and the others. "How the hell would you know? You weren't even alive then!" Inuyasha yelled back, his nose working full time trying to catch his brother's scent. "Dammit! He went so fast he barely left a scent on the air!" thought Inuyasha, trying to concentrate on his brother's scent. "I've talked to Kaede. Even she says that Kagome is to Kikyo as water is to oil, two entirely different things. And then, Kikyo went and tried to kill Kagome. We can only hope your brother is trying to heal her." Miroku continued, his anger at the hanyou rather evident. Inuyasha growled before yelling back, "Sesshoumaru was lying! Kikyo would never try to do that!" "Then are you suggesting that Sesshoumaru put the arrow into Kagome's chest, an arrow that had a dark aura that I could see from across the field? Nonsense!" exclaimed Miroku. Inuyasha simply ignored him, concentrating on the scent of his brother, having finally caught it again. Miroku sighed, knowing that Inuyasha would simply blow him off. He slowed down his walk, allowing Sango and Shippo to catch up. "What do you think we should do houshi?" Sango whispered to Miroku, Shippo perking his ears so as to hear as well. "I don't know Sango. We will have to decide what to do when we find out what's going on entirely. As is, the only way Sesshoumaru could have the Tetsuigia is if Kagome gave it to him. This makes me think that maybe Kagome is with him on purpose. We will just have to wait and find out." Miroku whispered back. Sango simply nodded and continued walking.

            Sesshoumaru sat down with his backside to a tree, settling himself in for rest. When he was finished, Rin laid down next to him, cuddling into his side. Sesshoumaru moved his tail so that it covered Rin like a blanket. Rin sighed contently when the warm tail covered her, sleep quickly taking the child to dreamland. Sesshoumaru himself simply looked at the child for a moment before laying his own head back. Sleep was surprisingly just as quick to take him as well, for not only had the recent battle taken its toll, but the energy put into his high-speed flight had drained him as well. Unlike all the other dreamless nights he usually had when he slept, he was in for a surprising night's sleep.

            _He was in a forest, all the trees in full bloom, flowers everywhere. It was what one might call a paradise, if such a thing existed. This was exactly what Sesshoumaru did NOT expect to dream about. Flicking a flower away from his face, he started to walk down a road lined in stones. His face looking irritated, he tried to imagine why he was having a dream that was something that Rin would enjoy. Turning a corner he saw his wretched half-brother and the wench near him. His face immediately showed his disgust at such a scene. Quite surprisingly, a feeling of jealousy flared up as his brother hugged the girl. He continued to walk towards them, when his brother whispered something. Had he been human, Sesshoumaru would not have heard his brother call the girl Kikyo, when he knew the girl before him was named Kagome. He was surprised to see the girl wrench herself from his brother's grasp. The girl looked liked she had been stabbed or something. When his brother asked what was wrong, he once again used the name Kikyo. Kagome just stated running farther down the road, as the image that was his brother faded. Sesshoumaru began to follow, when he noticed what was happening to the scenery. The trees were blackening as life began to drain from them, the flower died as vines began to cover them. Shadows began to leap through the trees as if some evil force had entered the forest. Sesshoumaru quickened his pace down the road, for even he was began to get creeped out by the woods. _

_He finally saw Kagome, sprawled out in the middle of the road as shadows flew around her. She was covering her ears as if trying to not hear, yet she was failing miserably, for she was shouting for them to stop. Knowing that something was wrong, he leapt at her when an arrow went into his arm. Looking over, he saw the corpse from the clearing. It was now that he noticed a strong resemblance between the two women. Deciding he could think over this later, he pulled Tetsusaiga from his belt, destroying the corpse without a second thought. That finished he raced to the girl. Upon passing through the shadows, he was almost brought to his knees by the feelings that began to flood him. Despair. Sorrow. Weakness. They tore at his being, as the voices whispered horrid things to him. Duplicate. Reincarnate. False one. He began to cry, tears flowing from his eyes as he fought the voices, yet failed miserably. Then the voice whispered a name that snapped him out of it. Kikyo. His eyes snapped open as he began to throw barriers up as his mind realized whom the attack was concentrated on. Stumbling to his feet, he picked the girl up; he leapt through the shadows, the voices and feelings disappearing when he exited the circle of shadows. He collapsed next to a tree; exhausted by the mental struggle he had just endured. The girl in his arms had long since stopped screaming, she simply cried, no sobs, she simply laid there shivering as tears leaked from her eyes. He cuddled the girl into his chest, protectiveness flooding him, as he wrapped her in the tail, so as to protect her form the world, she stopped shivering, yet continued to cry until she fell asleep. He himself then allowed his eyes to close as well, the darkness taking him deeper into sleep._

His eyes snapped open. He was breathing hard, a thin layer of cold sweat covering him. Unlike any dream he had ever ha before, he could remember every detail of this dream. Calming himself before he made any movement, he looked over at his side to see that Rin was still fast asleep. He carefully unwrapped his tail from around her, lowering her head to the ground as he slowly stood up. Making sure she was still asleep, he began to head to the cave entrance. As he walked down the passage, he tried to comprehend how a human could live their entire lives feeling emotions as intense as what he had felt. If he, Sesshoumaru, could be brought to his knees, in fact to the point of crying, by something so simple as an emotion, then how could humans live their entire lives with emotions that could be so intense. He shook his head, clearing his head of the unanswerable question. 

He finally came upon the cavern where Kagome was. The healer was elsewhere, much to Sesshoumaru's pleasure. He did not want her there to see him with the girl. He walked over to where the girl was, his demon eyes letting him see in the dark as if the sun had taken up residence in the cave. As he thought the girl's face was covered in tears. He kneeled down at the side of the bed, looking upon her face, as a few revelations came about. "I was in her dream." he realized, knowing that he would never have such a dream himself. He began to wonder why she would have such a dream, thinking over the things he knew of his brother, when he remembered who it was who had sealed him to the tree. "Kikyo… Kikyo was the name of the priestess who sealed him. The corpse has been referred to as Kikyo several times, meaning that she is the original. If Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, then…" It all fell into place. Why the girl had given him the blade, why she would betray Inuyasha, why she was willing to travel with him. Even the dream he had just experienced made sense. A slight smirk came to his face. "So dear bother, you made the fool mistake of thinking that a reincarnation is a duplicate of the original. Idiot. Not only is it not true, but also a person such as Kagome would hate being constantly compared to a corpse. Even the small amount of time I have been with her has given me enough insight to realize that much." A dark joy filled him, knowing that his brother had once again destroyed any chance of happiness he could have. "Such is his nature I suppose. Constantly flailing about, harming those he holds close in his idiotic thrashing. You do not deserve someone like Kagome. Just as well, for she is mine now." Blinking, he realized what his last thought had been. He also realized what his hand had been doing, wiping away the tears from her face. He knew he should feel disgusted by such a thought, yet it simply didn't feel like such a bad thing. Realizing that something was going on, that he shouldn't be developing emotions like this so quickly, he resolved to interrogate Kago- the wench what she's done when she's awake. 

This decision made, he stood up, and almost walked away when something horrible happened. He had been so busy thinking, he hadn't noticed the fact that his tail had gotten a bit to close to Kagome's hand. He felt a tug on his tail as he walked away. A feeling of pure dread began to fill him as he looked back at his tail. As he had dreaded, Kagome had developed a death grip on his tail. Knowing that any struggle would awaken the healer, he simply sat back down next to the bed, his eyes staying wide open, hoping that Kagome would let go before the healer woke up. He sighed as he watched the young women on the bed pulled his tail closer to her, cuddling the fluffy thing. Sesshoumaru felt a sudden joy as a smile developed on her face. As an hour passed with no relaxation on Kagome's part, Sesshoumaru realized that odds were that he would be stuck close to her for yet another night. Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to take him again, giving him a thankfully dreamless night.

            The healer, after eating a small breakfast and clothing herself, she began to walk through the cavern system that was her home. Upon arriving at the room where her newest patient, she was greeted with a scene that she would never forget. At the side of the bed was the Great Lord Of The West, his tail around the young woman, whom not only grasped the tail like a lifeline, but also had shifted closer to Sesshoumaru, her head buried into his hair. The healer decided that it would be best to find something else to do, and to never EVER let the Great Lord know that she had seen this. As she left the room, a smile graced her face, for she knew that odds were high that the son would find what the father had found.


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Questions Are Asked, Decisions Are Made 

            Her eyes opened to a cavern of some type. She blinked her eyes as she tried to remember what happened to her. As she lay there, something in her hands twitched. She looked down at her hands to see a white fluffy thing in her hands. "Odd. It looks familiar…" thought Kagome, her thoughts trailing off as she remembered where she had seen such a thing. As she remembered who had such a soft appendage, she noticed the quite sound of breathing to her left. Turning her head slowly to the left, she saw someone whom she was meeting at her bedside more and more these days. "Sesshoumaru," Kagome whispered. Apparently, Sesshoumaru was only lightly asleep, for her whisper awoke him. She watched as his eyes opened, sleepiness still apparent in his amber eyes. He blinked before turning his head to look at her. She was surprised to see something besides the usual stone cold look in his eyes. Despite his usual stoic face, his eyes showed something, what it was she couldn't tell, but it wasn't any of the usual angered or arrogant looks she had seen before. 

She was getting ready to ask what he was doing here when he cut her off. "Would you let go of my tail?" he asked, his voice calm. Confused, she looked at her hands, and realized she had a death grip on his tail. Her face igniting into a fiery redness, she let go of his tail, which wound itself into its usual position around Sesshoumaru. Finding her voice, she asked, "Where are we?" She was surprised once again when it wasn't Sesshoumaru that answered. "You are in my cave," a woman's voice responded. Kagome, trying to lean up to see, discovered painfully that her body was still aching from her wound. As the pain faded, she suddenly remembered what had happened. Looking at where the arrow had been, she found her entire chest covered in bandages. As she realized that her shirt was gone, she looked at Sesshoumaru. "You weren't in the room when-" "No." was all he said, looking away as he cut her off. She could swear he had sounded a bit rushed when he said it. From the other side of the bed, the face of a woman at least in her 30's appeared. She looked human except for her hair, which was a deep blue, and her slit eyes of light blue. She knelt down with a potion in hand and simply said, "Drink this," as she slowly lifted her back so she could drink without choking. Sniffing the drink and finding that it smelled sweet, she found on tasting it that it was anything but sweet tasting. She practically had to force the disgusting liquid down her throat. As the healer lowered her to the bed, Kagome asked what the liquid was for. "It will help remove the last of the dark aura, and numb the pain as your wound heals. Your miko powers have been doing a good job of purifying your blood. There's almost no darkness left," replied the woman. She then said, "I believe you'll e able to leave this afternoon. However, you must rest as much as you can for the next week, so as to help the wound heal." When Kagome nodded, the demoness excused herself and began to leave the room. As she was leaving the room, Kagome suddenly asked her name. She simply smiled and said she was known as the healer. With that, she left the room.

"She certainly enjoys being mysterious." Kagome said after a moment. Sesshoumaru simply looked at her. His constant staring unnerving her, she thought of something to talk about that actually might get a response. "I was thinking I could go home for the week I need to rest." This definitely caught Sesshoumaru's attention. "You wish to go back to the hanyou?" "Oh no, the village isn't my home. It's the well in the forest." Sesshoumaru looked a bit confused by this one. "You live in a well." Kagome sweat dropped as she realized she would have to tell him about the well. "Well, uh, you see, it kinda works like this…" Kagome then told Sesshoumaru EVERYTHING about her, including the well. When she finished, Sesshoumaru simply nodded his head slightly. "You believe me?" Kagome asked, a bit taken off guard. "You have no reason to lie. And even if you did, I would simply kill you," was all he said. "So, will you let me go home?" she asked. Sesshoumaru thought for a moment, and simply nodded. Happy, she smiled at Sesshoumaru and thanked him. His eyes seemed to warm a bit, but only for a second. Tired of laying down, Kagome slowly pulled herself up, when she moved a bit to fast and almost fell back down. She stopped midair as Sesshoumaru's hand shot out and caught her. He then began to help her into a sitting position, her back against the wall. Kagome, dumbfounded and just a bit embarrassed, thanked him when he finished. She then realized that she the top of her school uniform was missing, as well as her socks and shoes. "Um, where are my clothes?" "I had them burned," was his deadpan response? Before Kagome could yell at him, he continued with, " They were tainted with the darkness, so wearing them would have been dangerous. "What am I supposed to wear then? I'm not going to walk around in bandages." She blushed red when Sesshoumaru gave her a funny look. "I'm not walking around naked either!" she yelled at him. Sesshoumaru simply sniffed and replied, "I shall have Jaken get you some clothing." With this he got up and began to leave. "Sesshoumaru." Kagome called, causing him to turn his head in her direction. "Thank you." Was all Kagome said, a blush creeping up her face. Sesshoumaru simply nodded and continued on his way out.

Hours later, on the road, a small group consisting of two demons, a little girl, and a miko were walking towards a village a good day away. The tallest of the demons was in the front, the little girl following behind him, the miko following the girl, and the other demon behind her. As the sun begin to move towards the horizon, the miko spoke out. "Shouldn't we find someplace to rest for the night?" the girl asked, the question directed towards the demon in front. The demon stopped and looked back at both the girl and the miko. He replied, "There is a cave up ahead. We shall rest there." Was all he said, moving forward in a slightly altered path then before. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the cave Sesshoumaru spoke of. He sent Jaken off to get water, and after telling the girl and miko to stay at the cave, he left to get meat.  

Meanwhile, the healer was finding out how irritating a pissed off hanyou could be. "I shall not tell you where Lord Sesshoumaru and the girl went." She said to the hanyou, whom was getting into her face, growling. "If you would please get away from me." "Not until you tell me where Kagome is!" Inuyasha yelled, growling even louder. The healer stared him in the eyes, her eyes simply looking agitated. Sango and Miroku stood off to the side, Shippo clutching Sango's neck. They all sweat dropped as the two demons faced off each other. Then, slowly, the healer brought her hand. She put out her pointer finger and tapped Inuyasha on the side of the neck. The three standing off to the side watched in amazement as Inuyasha fell to the ground and started snoring. After a pause, the healer said, "Would anyone mind having tea, for I am feeling a bit thirsty." The three nodded their heads quickly, and followed the demoness as she went into the cave. On the ground outside the cave entrance, Inuyasha had curled into a ball, sleeping peacefully.

Sesshoumaru returned to the camp after going out to check for possible threats. He had left again after bringing the meat he had gotten to the camp. As he entered the camp again, he saw that the flame had been extinguished. Looking about, he immediately spotted the two girls. Leaning against a tree was the women, Kagome, with Rin in her lap. Both of them were asleep. Sitting near the extinguished flame was Jaken, snoring as usual. He walked over to the two girls, sniffing the air and concentrating his hearing to make sure nothing was near. He bent down to look at Kagome, his nose picking up her scent. He pushed back the instinct that had already gotten him into trouble once, but he still reveled in her smell. He still could not figure out why he found himself attracted to her suddenly, but he was beginning to not care. He looked her over, allowing himself to admit to the beauty that she had. He had seen many female demons who could easily beat her in various physical ways, yet the simple aura of peace and innocence gave her a look, almost a feeling that he had never before seen. How his idiot half-brother could have a hard time choosing between a corpse and this human before him confused him. That another human had not taken her was amazing in itself, even he, had he been human, would have quickly taken her lest another beat him to claiming her.

Standing up, he walked over to a tree just opposite of theirs. As he settled himself into the tree, he began to think over what the girl had told him of the well. The mere thought of something so simple as a well leading into the future was hard to swallow, even after seeing all the thing he had seen, but he had meant it when he said she had no reason to lie. After all, who would lie about their home, and if they did lie, he could think of many better lies to use then a time-traveling well. He would have to try to use the well himself, so as to see this future she talked off. She had spoken very little of what it was like, but what the very idea of seeing the future in just moments sparked his curiosity into a flame. Deciding that he would jump into the well with her, no matter her complaint, he allowed himself to rest.

The healer stood outside her cave, looking at the moon. The humans and the kitsune pup had long taken to bed, exhausted by there hard traveling. She had taken the hanyou into the cave as well, placing him into a bed. She had learned from her conversation with the humans how the girl she had treated had gotten such a wound. After some careful questioning, she had also found the answer to a few questions of her own. She knew that Lord Sesshoumaru would be feeling the effects of what the girl had done, yet he was so foolish as to not ask her. She only hopped he would accept what would happen, for the sake of the girl. She wondered if he would ever realize who to ask what was happening, yet she doubted it. She shook her head, still slightly amazed as to what she had found when cleaning the darkness from the girls soul. It would never cease to amuse her that so innocent of a girl would do what she had done. And odds are she didn't even know she had done it. A smile on her face, she turned, entering her cave for a nights rest, for the coming days would likely be quite interesting.


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Feeling Is Felt, And Hearts Are Bound 

            Sesshoumaru's little group was once again on the road, heading towards a certain well. The night and early morning had gone by uneventful, much to Kagome's happiness. The early afternoon had it's own surprising occurrence, much to Sesshoumaru's hidden joy. Apparently, the healer had failed to mention that Kagome would begin to tire faster from the potion as it had its effect. After having to stop for the third time that morning so that she could catch her breath, Sesshoumaru did something that caught everyone by surprise, including himself. He picked her up with his tail and simply carried her as he walked. Jaken had been shocked by his master's actions, yet said nothing. Rin had simply smiled and continued on with her being happy. Kagome was simply dumbfounded. Sesshoumaru was just as or more so dumbfounded by his actions as Kagome was, he simply didn't show it. They had continued going until early evening, when Sesshoumaru simply stopped. He then said Kagome's name. When she didn't respond, he turned his head to find something he both dreaded and enjoyed. Kagome had fallen asleep in his tail once more, having cuddled herself into his fluffy fur. Vastly irritated, and desiring a little vengeance for when she DARED to slap him, he fluffed his tail around his shoulders like he usually did. Except this time, he didn't bring Kagome with the tail. Kagome hit the ground with a thud, waking her up on impact. She stood up slowly, rubbing her back. "What'd you do that for!" she yelled at Sesshoumaru. HE simply looked at her, turned away, and said, "We're there." Kagome, surprised, looked where he had turned and saw the forest. "Wow, already?" As Kagome was trying to figure out how long she had been asleep, Sesshoumaru had turned to Jaken and Rin. "You two will stay here. I will be back in four nights." While Jaken simply nodded, recognizing the tone of voice, Rin had run up and clutched Sesshoumaru's leg. She looked up and asked, "You promise?" Sesshoumaru looked down, and after a moment or two, placed his hand on top of Rin's head, simply responded, "I promise." After Rin gave is leg one final hug, she let and waved as he turned towards the forest, walking towards the girl. Kagome followed him, having finished clearing the sleep from her head. She waved goodbye to Rin as she entered the forest. 

            Almost five minutes later, a different group arrived where Jaken and Rin were. Inuyasha was running with his demon speed, while Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were riding on Kiara. After landing near where Rin was out, Inuyasha scared Rin by growling "Where's Kagome, brat." Inuyasha was whacked by a staff and boomerang second later. Miroku stepped on top of Inuyasha, and said, "Inuyasha, you know you shouldn't grow at one so young." He turned his attention to little Rin, who was still looking scared. "Hello there, little one. What's your name?" calmed by Miroku's charming smile, she said Rin, and then asked "Are you one of Kagome's friends?" Mirouko nodded and asked, "Do you know where Kagome went? We really need to talk to her." "Oh, she went into the forest with Sesshoumaru-sama so that she could go home." "Thank you Rin. We'll be back in a little bit to talk to you some more, okay?" When Rin nodded, Miroku turned to Sango, and noticed that Inuyasha was missing. "Where's Inuyasha?" "He ran off into the woods. Should we follow?" Sango said. "We most certainly should. In the mood Inuyasha's in, who knows what he might do." Miroku said as he hoped back up on Kiara's back, which took off to the woods when everyone was on.

            They had arrived at the well. Sesshoumaru was a bit surprised that so simple of an object could hold such powerful magic. Kagome turned to him and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you in a week." Sesshoumaru simply nodded. Kagome got up on the lip of the well, and prepared to jump in, when she stopped and said to Sesshoumaru, "Thank you for everything so far, Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow a bit. "It is not over yet, girl. There will be more to do when you come back." Kagome was about to respond when Sesshoumaru whipped his head around. That's when Kagome noticed the coming demon. "Go." Said Sesshoumaru, knowing that Inuyasha would only cause trouble. Sesshoumaru did not realize just how much trouble Inuyasha would cause.

            Before Kagome could jump, Inuyasha arrived. "STOP!" he yelled, Which Kagome actually did, and turned to look at him. Sesshoumaru cursed under his breath. "What the hell are you doing with my brother!" Inuyasha yelled. "I'm with him cause at least he knows how to fight!" Inuyasha got further pissed and threw an insult back, at which Kagome load the verbal cannons and began full barrage. Sesshoumaru sweat dropped as Inuyasha and Kagome began a full-fledged insult war for a good five minutes. Kagome was having little effect on Inuyasha, but Inuyasha was getting some hits in. Then Inuyasha broke out the Big One. "You stupid idiot! If you would just realize you were nothing more than a reincarnate, you would know what your place was!" Kagome literally got blown back by this one, stepping back towards the edge of the well. She tried to respond, but Inuyasha continued in his rant. "You are everything Kikyo was! Maybe if you just realized that, you'd realize what you're meant to do!" Kagome couldn't even try to respond, she simply moved her mouth, her eyes saying everything. Sesshoumaru had started growling, his muscles tensing as his half-brother continued his disgusting words. "You were meant to be with me! You ARE Kikyo in heart and soul. You may act different, but you're still just a reincarnate!" Inuyasha was unable to continue for Sesshoumaru had hit him up into the air. While Inuyasha was flying, Sesshoumaru jumped to Kagome, took her into his arms, and went down the well, sending both of them into the future. When Inuyasha came down from the air, he too jumped into the well, only to whack into the ground as the well refused to transport him. He began to curse violently at the well, and jumped back into the trees, heading to his favorite tree.

            In the future, inside a well that was covered by a shed like shrine, were a full-demon and a human. At the moment, the human was silently sobbing, letting loose all the hurt the words had made. The demon was holding her against his chest, rocking her back and forth while uttering little nothings in an attempt to soothe her. Kagome was devastated. She had always known what Inuyasha thought, but to hear it in words, to have him confirm her fears, was horrible. Despite having tried to separate her heart from him, he was still able to twist the knife he had put in her heart. She didn't care who was holding her, only that it was warm, and she heard kind words being whispered. She let her eyes close as sleep overwhelmed her.

            Sesshoumaru was still seething at his brother. The words he had heard come from his mouth, and for them to be directed at one who had laid her life on the line for him, had angered him at the core. He had always had a jealousy deep inside that his half-brother could somehow attract people who would do everything for him. But for him to stand there and practically abuse someone who would die for him was disgusting. "Fool brother never has realized what he has." He thought as he rocked his brother's mental casualty against his chest, trying to calm her. When she finally fell asleep, he decided to find this home of hers, and put her in the hands of family. He jumped out of the well. He was greeted with the sight of a building around the well. This confirmed to him that he had gone somewhere. Seeing the door, he walked over to it, and opened it. The sight he was greeted with took him entirely off guard.

            The forest was no longer there, a land of tall buildings, flat roads, and odd creatures that zoomed down those roads. The air was thick with smoke and other things just as bad. He would have continued staring at this future if not for the movement of Kagome. Snapping his attention back to the task at hand, he began to look for her home. He saw the God-Tree and decided to look from there. After reaching the tree, he saw what could be a house. After stepping on the back porch, he looked at the odd door, trying to figure out how to open it. Eventually giving up for the moment, he noticed his brother's scent going to a tree on the side of the house.  He hoped up the tree, and saw a window that looked into what seemed to be a bedroom. After working the window open, he stepped in to the room, noticing that Kagome's scent was strong here. "Judging by the smell, this would be her room." Looking outside and realizing that it was nearing nightfall, he decided to simply put her to bed. He pulled the sheets down, bent down and laid her on the bed, only to discover that, once again, Kagome had death gripped his tail. Deciding that he would NOT sleep on the floor simply because of something so simple, he scooted her over a bit, and lay down next to her. Kagome cuddled up next to him, causing him to feel a bit uncomfortable at first. However, as her scent washed over him, he began to relax, his eyes gaining weight. As his eyes closed for the night, he realized that he would likely have a very painful morning.

            She was having a hard time waking up, because she felt like she was in the warmest, softest bed she had ever been in. She opened her eyes slowly to be greeted with the sight of a colorful looking fabric in front of her. Trying to clear the sleep from her mind, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was an odd white thing slightly over her shoulder, twitching slowly. It reminded her of a dog's tail when asleep. And then it clicked. Her eyes widening to the size of pool balls, she looked up slowly. Sesshoumaru's face was resting above her head, obviously asleep. She paused just a moment to observe that he looked quite handsome when he was asleep, only to blush a good deal and dropping her head. She continued to look over the situation, and as she did, she realized several things. Like the fact that Sesshoumaru had his hand around her waist, and that his tail was encircling the both of them. She also realized that she was in her room. Realizing that at any moment her mother could come in, she begins to slowly get up. She carefully picked up Sesshoumaru's hand and placed it down on the bed. Slowly, she worked her way off the bed, careful to not wake the sleeping demon. Standing up after sliding off the bottom of the bed, she looked at the demon on her bed, and realized he looked almost innocent when asleep. She quietly left her room, so as to see where her family was.

            He opened his eyes when Kagome left the room. He had been awake the minute she starting shifting about. He had been instantly aware of how he had cuddled up to her, and realized he was likely going to get yelled at. He waited a moment to see what would happen, and he was absolutely stunned by what she did. Instead of the usual slap or screech, she simply got out of bed, trying not to wake him. He stood up as he heard her go down the stairs, smoothing the wrinkles out of his clothing. He silently left he room and went down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he noticed a salty smell. He began to follow it, fearing what he would find. He entered what may have been a kitchen, and saw Kagome at a recess in the counter, her shoulders shaking noticeably. The salty smell was centered around her. Sighing, he walked behind her, trying to think of how to stop a crying woman.

            She had come downstairs, and found a note on the counter. It said that the family and gone on a week's vacation to a nearby town. It was signed by her mother, and dated the day before. Putting the note down, she walked over to the sink to get a glass of water. "Why was I in bed with Sesshoumaru? Why am I back home?" Her memories were a bit fuzzy on the day before. " I remember getting ready to jump in the well, and then Inuyasha arrived and…" The memories of what Inuyasha had said came back to her; causing what happiness she had to drain out, as the sorrow begin to flood her. She placed her hands on the counter to keep from falling, as she allowed the tears to flow, the sadness becoming all-consuming once again. Through the waves of pain crashing against her mind, she sensed Sesshoumaru behind her. "Kill me." Kagome whispered. Had she bothered to look at Sesshoumaru, she would have seen how surprised he was at her comment. "Why?" he asked, once his voice found itself again. "All I am is a reincarnation. The only reason I am is because I'm supposed to be Kikyo. I don't WANT to be her, so there must be something wrong with me. All I'm doing by being alive is hurting Inuyasha. If I'm dead, Kikyo will get her soul, and everyone will be happy." After Kagome finished, she turned around and lifted her head to make her neck visible, and closed her eyes.

            He had been stunned when she had whispered those two words. It had also become VERY apparent how deeply his brother had struck, making her doubt her own individuality. It would take something else than warm words at the moment to fix this. He needed to get her to fight her depression. He smiled inwardly when he thought of JUST the thing to do. "So, you're not quite as strong as I, Sesshoumaru, had thought you were." Kagome's eyes snapped open. If Sesshoumaru had learned anything about this girl, it was that she HATED to be called weak. "So quick to be wounded by my bastard brother. Willing to kill herself for an idiot that feels nothing for her." Kagome was clearly starting to get livid, so he decided to make his move. He leaned close to her ear, and whispered the one thing she would never expect to hear. "You look cute when you're angry." Kagome had only a second to look stunned before Sesshoumaru's lips met hers.

            She had just been getting mad at the jackass in front of her, and all of a sudden he says she's cute when angry? She had been about to ask what was wrong with him, but then, he had kissed her. Her mind shut down for a moment, before any real thoughts could form. The very first thought was that Sesshoumaru was a MUCH better kisser than his brother. She had already closed her eyes and started kissing back. Sesshoumaru than wrapped his arm around her back, and she wrapped hers around his neck. The kiss intensified, Kagome's mind once again shutting down, overloaded by the feelings she was getting from this kiss. Than, Kagome realized something important. She was out of air, and she couldn't breath.

            He had never felt anything like it. He had some expectations for what it would feel like, for he had not been womanless his long life. Yet, nothing those other women did ever felt like this, and this was just kissing! He put his hand around her back, pulling her closer. He subconsciously noticed her hands around his neck. When he first heard her groan, he simply ignored it, however when she tried to pull back, he stopped kissing her to see what was wrong. He sweat dropped when he realized that she was out of air. He simply held he near while she got her breath, his head in her hair, smelling in her sweet scent. 

            After Kagome got her breath back, she moved away enough to look up into Sesshoumaru's face and simply said, "Why?" Sesshoumaru seemed to think for a moment, and replied with, "Because." Before she could speak more he picked her up in his arm, using his tail to help hold her. He walked over to the couch and laid on it, his back to it's back. Kagome was held tight to Sesshoumaru by his tail, which had moved itself to act as a blanket and pillow. Sesshoumaru moved his mouth close to her ear and said, "Nothing my fool brother said is true. It is untrue because I, Sesshoumaru, say so." "Why do you care? Don't you hate humans?" Kagome asked, slightly confused, yet warmed by his words. Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, thinking his words through, before he answered. "I do not how or why I began to care. But I care little for such things. All that matters is that I do care, whether you are human or demon." While he had talked he had pulled her closer, and on finishing, gave her another kiss, shorter than the last. When the kiss ended, he looked her in the eyes and said, "You are mine, Kagome. Nothing will ever change this." Kagome's eyes teared up as she slipped her hands around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder, giving him a hug. Feeling sleepy, she whispered one last thing before falling into light sleep. "I love you." Sesshoumaru eye's widened in surprise. It had been many years for him before someone had said those words to him. A smile came to his face as he rested his head on top of Kagome's, breathing in her scent, as he too entered a light sleep.


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: ****Curiosity**** Killed The Dog-Demon**

            The afternoon sunlight shined through a window in the Higuarshi shrine, revealing to the world a touching scene. Upon a couch was snoozing a Dog-Demon, his tail surrounding him and another, his arm holding this other person close to him. The light slowly made it's way up the carpet, and began to shine on this person's face. This person, who we now see to be a girl, began to awaken. And we all know that when she does awaken, she'll be in for a great many surprises.

            Kagome's eyes opened to find that her face was cuddled into someone's shirt. Confused for a moment, she remembered what had happened that morning. She blushed a bit as she remembered what he had said. " _You are mine_ he said. And he really meant it." She leaned back a bit to look at his face. She felt a warmth in her heart as she saw something on his face that she had never seen before. "I made him smile." She lifted her hand to his face and began to trace the marks on his face. When she pushed a errant strand of hair behind his ear, she was startled when he began to growl. She froze for a moment, waiting for him to open his eyes. When she realized he was still asleep, she let her curiosity get the best of her. She began to rub the skin behind his ear. The growling became more intense, reminding Kagome of a cat purring. "Purring…  He's purring!" Kagome realized. A giggle began to bubble up. As desperate as she was to stop, she couldn't. Just the thought of the great emotionless Lord of the West _purring _was funny, if not hilarious. "What's so amusing?" a familiar voice asked, shutting the giggles off like an axe to a power cord.

            He had begun to wake up when she moved her hand, staying in a half-asleep, half-awake state as she started to touch his face. Even when he had started petting behind his ears, he had kept quiet, not wanting her to stop. When she began to giggle though, he had decided to see what was so funny. He was amused when she blushed a deep red when he spoke. "Eh… heh heh… Nothing at all!" Kagome said. He simply raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing her. "Eh… well… you were, well, purring." Kagome said, saying the last word quietly. "And that is funny how?" he said, keeping his cool outside, only a slight smirk playing upon his features. "It's just that, that, you know, you're supposed to be Mr. Stoic and here you are purring." Kagome was obviously holding down the giggles near the end. She stopped as Sesshoumaru got up abruptly, startling her. "I suppose I could always stop "purring" if you believe it to be so unusual," he said, sounding peeved. "No that's not what I mean-" Kagome had begun to say, getting off the couch. She would have finished her sentence too, if Sesshoumaru had not spun around suddenly, locking her into a passionate kiss. When it ended, Sesshoumaru continued to hold her close, his tail wrapped about the two of them. Kagome, her mind still fuzzy, was trying to figure out what had just happened. She rests her head against his chest. "You're purring is nice." She said, referring to the fact that Sesshoumaru was once again doing so. " I'm glad you think so," was his whispered reply, his face buried in her hair, basking in her scent.

            Suddenly, Kagome stomach growled loud enough to put any Youki's to shame, shattering the cuddly cute moment. Kagome blushed as Sesshoumaru gave her a look. "What! I haven't eaten since yesterday," she put forth as her defense. Much to her surprise, he started to laugh. Only for a minute mind you, but still, just a chuckle would have been stunning coming from Sesshoumaru. When he stopped, he had a smile on his face, his eyes liquid amber, filled with warmth, instead of the usual cold blank stare. "Are you ok? You're acting just a little odd." Kagome joked, putting her hand on his forehead. Sesshoumaru simply tilted his head slightly to the side, looking coy, before giving her a quick peck on the fore head. "It's just you. I believe your belly requires food, yes?" Kagome's stomach growled again to confirm this. "No argument there. I suppose I can make up some lunch for the two of us." Kagome began to head for the Kitchen, Sesshoumaru close behind.

            Kagome quickly discovered that Sesshoumaru, when he wasn't trying to look cold, was not only humorous, but VERY curious when he sees new things. Not only had he narrowly avoided setting his hair ablaze with the stove, he'd also managed to almost electrocute himself with the toaster, amongst many other things. Kagome, desperately wanting to finish making lunch while keeping Sesshoumaru healthy, if not alive, thought of the perfect bribe. 

"Sesshoumaru, Close your eyes. And no, I'm not going to do something bad," said Kagome, adding the last part after he gave her an odd look. Finally after quiet sigh, he closed his eyes, preparing for whatever Kagome had waiting for him. He heard her rummage through something, and then the sound of something tearing. Then, he smelled something. Something sweet. "Open your eyes" Kagome finally said. He opened his eyes to find that Kagome was holding something in front of his face. Noticing the questioning look in his eyes, Kagome said, "It's chocolate. It's a very good tasting candy from overseas. You'll like it." Taking it from here, he sniffed the 'chocolate', and after a moment's hesitation, took a small bite. As he chewed, the flavor of the chocolate shot to his head, creating a joyful feeling he had only felt when holding Kagome. Never before had Sesshoumaru had something so sweet, so delicious, so… Perfect.

Sesshoumaru's reaction to the chocolate was, to say the least, amusing. She guided the blissful Sesshoumaru to the couch, sitting him down, and then went back to the kitchen to finish making her lunch. Much to her joy, Sesshoumaru ate the Chocolate bar very slowly, so as to enjoy the taste longer. He finished the chocolate about the same time she finished her lunch. Checking in on him after cleaning her dishes, she found that he was still a bit out of it. She pondered what she would do when he finally came to. "He'll drive me insane if he keeps asking and trying everything in the house. And knowing my luck, he'd probably blow it up somehow. I suppose I'll just have to keep showing him about, and hopefully manage to keep both of healthy, both physically and mentally, in the process. She sat down next to Sesshoumaru, waiting for the chocolate to stop having it's effect on him.

15 minutes later, Sesshoumaru began to come down from his chocolate high, the chocolate having been metabolized by his demon-enhanced body. Only a slight headache remained as a sign of his temporary bliss. He blinked his eyes, trying to figure out how long he had been… preoccupied. As his senses returned to him, he realized that someone was sitting next to him. Looking over, he saw Kagome starring off into space, not really seeing what was in front of her. He noticed the look of sadness in her eyes, worrying him. "Is she thinking… about him?" He moved his tail around her waist, snapping her out of her daze. "Oh, your back to normal." Kagome said. "Is something wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked, getting closer to her. It was now that Kagome saw a different light to his eyes. "He's worried…" This alone brought a smile to her face. She hugged him as she said, "No, but thanks for asking." She buried her face in the front of his clothes, feeling warmer when Sesshoumaru returned the hug. 

This lasted for a few moments, until Kagome started to pull away. Sesshoumaru released her, reluctantly, allowing her to stand up. "Now, how about I show you around the house?" Kagome said. Sesshoumaru sat still for moment before standing up and nodding his head. "And whatever you do, don't touch anything that you don't know what it does. I like your hair too much to have it burned off." Kagome said, a big smile on her face. Sesshoumaru sniffed; disgruntled that Kagome had reminded him of the stove incident. He followed her up the stairs, his curiosity beginning to fight its way to the surface of his mind. Clearly, he has never heard the phrase, "Curiosity Killed The Dog-Demon."

Back in the Feudal age, a day had passed since Kagome had gone through the well. Miroku and Sango had arrived to late at the well to hear what Inuyasha had said, and he refused to tell them what had happened. Since then, they had brought Rin and Jaken to the village. Within the day, Rin had befriended everyone she had met, except for Inuyasha. Rin simply tried again and again, but Inuyasha seemed to have some form of immunity against cuteness. We know focus in on Rin, who is standing at the base of the God-Tree, in which a sulky Inuyasha inhabits the highest branches. Rin is currently chattering with a non-responsive Inuyasha, whom is getting irritated by the second. Then, he snapped.

"Will you hush UP! I'm trying to get some sleep! Stupid girl!" Inuyasha yelled down at Rin, turning over and closing his eyes, ignoring the tears that boiling up in Rin's eyes. Rin ran off into the forest, obviously hurt by Inuyasha's words. A few minutes later, he heard a scream. He scrambled up and burst off in the direction he heard it from. As he flew through the foliage, he began to feel regret for what he just did. "I'm just hurting everyone near me aren't I?" Inuyasha thought sarcastically. 

Than he reached where Rin was, who was being chased by a wolf-demon. He immediately destroyed it, stopping to check Rin. Not that he needed to, for she had already latched herself to his leg, sobbing and hiccupping. "Rin was scared!" was one of the few things Inuyasha was able to decipher from Rin's sobbing. In a unprecedented move, Inuyasha actually put some effort into calming her down, if not being a tad clumsy at the effort. After taking her into his arms, he began to rock her back and forth, which apparently calmed her down enough to fall asleep. Sighing, Inuyasha took off towards his tree, Rin in his arms. He settled into his branch, Rin still cuddled to his chest. Inuyasha simply shook his head, wondering how he got this soft, before leaning back and falling asleep.


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Weeks End And The Things That Came After

            It had been a very… interesting… week for both of them. After the first two days, Sesshoumaru's curiosity had been satisfied enough to finally calm down. Sesshoumaru himself had begun to calm a bit, the showing of emotion becoming a bit constrained. But Kagome wasn't worried. Even if he didn't laugh as much, or smile quite as widely, it was still very obvious to her that he did indeed love her, deeply.  In fact, when she thought about it, he had been acting very un-Sesshoumaru like on the first day here. The admitting to her that he loved her was not odd in itself, but rather how extreme his emotions had been. She would have expected him to act more like he was now. "But then again, I was feeling different that day to. For the past few days, I've felt so calm and under control. Even when Hojo showed up unexpectedly, I was amazingly cool. Unlike Sesshoumaru." She smirked as she remembered that day. Hojo had come by to give her some herbs for her latest sickness. She had been able to not only let Hojo go without a messy breakup, but also managed to keep Sesshoumaru from tearing Hojo into little bits. 

She looked over at Sesshoumaru as they walked towards the well. He was holding her backpack full of stuff for her, looking as calm as usual. He noticed her glance and let a little smirk cross his face. His eyes did most the talking however. Despite his usual icy appearance, his eyes were still a warm gold instead of icy orbs of amber. The look in his eyes was more than enough to let her know how he felt. She looked away from him and looked towards the approaching well house. She sighed as she thought of how her friends back in time might react to the twos closeness. 

"Is something the matter?" asked Sesshoumaru, having noticed her sigh. "Just thinking." She replied. "You are worried about something." He said, less question and more conformation. She thought a moment before answering, "It's just that, how will my friends think of us?" Sesshoumaru didn't answer. She turned around to see what he was doing, and was caught in his hug as she turned about. "Do not worry, Kagome. If they are truly friends, they will understand." "What about Inuyasha?" she asked quietly. Sesshoumaru replied with a slight growl, "I will have a… talk… with him about the two of us." "Don't kill him" Kagome said, pulling away to look him in the eye. Sesshoumaru stared back, before slightly nodding. 

He suddenly picked her up, surprising her. She yelped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sesshoumaru chuckled as he began to run towards the well. Kagome simply cuddled closer to him as he jumped down the well.

As the two of them jump into the well, a certain group is discussing exactly what's going on. "If it weren't for Rin, Inuyasha would still be in his funk, heaven knows what its about. And he still hasn't told us what happened at the well," Sango said, eating the lunch Kaede had made. "Yes, and we still don't know why Kagome is not only traveling with Sesshoumaru, but went so far as to give him the Tetsusagia. I can not think of anything that would make Kagome go that far." Miroku said, sitting opposite of Sango. "I'm not surprised. I mean, calling her Kikyo all the time is pretty bad. I wouldn't like being called " Shippo said, the comment drawing everyone's attention. "What do ye mean by that, Shippo?" Kaede asked. "Well, one time, when I was looking for Kagome, I found her and Inuyasha hugging, and Inuyasha called her Kikyo. Kagome was pretty mad." Shippo replied. "That idiot. He would do something so stupid. Why he still has feelings for that corpse, I don't know how he can be so stupid. But that still doesn't explain why she's with Sesshoumaru." Sango said, putting the bowl aside, picking up her boomerang to work on it. "Unless, of course, Inuyasha sees Kagome as Kikyo's replacement." Mirouku commented. " I don't know. If Inuyasha were to do anything like that, Kagome would get pretty mad. She'd probably run …away…" Shippo stopped as he realized exactly what he said. Something had clicked in everyone else's heads as well, as they all stopped what they were doing and thought over the possibility. Sango was the first to have a revelation.

 "THAT ASS! WHEN I GET A HOLD OF HIM!" Sango leapt up, getting her boomerang ready to bash a certain Hanyous head. She began to run towards the door before Miroku blocked her. "Wait Sango, we still don't know exactly what happened. It would be unwise to go charging when we don't even know the truth yet." "Truth about what?" a grumpy voice said from behind Miroku. As all eyes focused on Inuyasha, he realized he had just stepped into something nasty. "What! What!" was all he managed to say before a Shippo and Sango attacked. 

"OW OW OW! STOP PULLING MY EARS! GAHH!" The nearby villagers stared at their leaders hut, horrid, awful images coming to mind as to what was happening inside. Inside the hut, Shippo was pulling with all his strength upon Inuyasha's ears, while at the same time Sango beat him with her boomerang. Miroku, being as calm as ever, was able to disarm Sango, that is until she stole his staff and began to smash Inuyasha's feet with them. It took a good 15 minutes for order to be restored, and when it was, Inuyasha was a mess. Bruises covered most visible skin, a cut or two visible, and most the fur on his ears had been pulled off. He would have left the minute things calmed down if it weren't for the seals keeping him stuck in a small box-like spot in the hut. "LET ME THE HELL OUT YOU NUT-BALLS!!!" Inuyasha screamed, including a variety of other curses and swears. He stopped when he noticed the looks on everyone's faces as they sat down in a circle around his mini-prison. 

"Now Inuyasha, if you simply answer our questions, we'll let you go," said Miroku in his calmest voice. "What are you going to do if I don't, monk?" Inuyasha replied with his usual cocky tone. The only answer he got was the sound of Sango's knuckles cracking. "Heh. Like some little human could intimidate me." "What the hell happened at the well Inuyasha!" Sango burst, her already foul temper firing off at his lack of cooperation. "Why the hell would I tell you?" Inuyasha said. He would have said more if it weren't for the boomerang impacting his skull at high speeds. Sango snorted as Inuyasha passed out from the blow. "Well that didn't last long," Shippo said. "I suppose we'll just have to wait for Kagome to come back before we find anything out." Miroku said, sighing as he rested his head on his hand. "Ask about what?" said a familiar voice from the doorway. All heads, those that were conscious anyways, turned to the door, hoping to see who they thought it was. "KAGOME!" Shippo shrieked as he threw himself at her.

            As Kagome hugged Shippo, assuring him it was truly her, Sango and Miroku had begun walking over to her, when they noticed someone standing behind her. They tensed as Sesshoumaru glanced at them with a cold look. Kagome noticed their reluctance to come over to her, and she remembered who was behind her. "Oh don't worry you guys, he's with me." Kagome said, much to her friend's surprise. Sesshoumaru simply stood there, Kagome's bag resting in his tail. The two humans, realizing that all was well, went forward to embrace their friend. 

As they talked amongst each other, Miroku's hand began to creep towards Kagome's rear, unnoticed by all but one. Miroku would have completed his lecherous intentions if he hadn't felt someone's eyes burning holes though the back of his head. Turning his head, he realized Sesshoumaru had noticed his intents, and his eyes were concentrated on him. He pulled his hand away from Kagome, and acted innocent to try and avoid any problems. "Boy, I wonder what's got him all protective." Miroku thought, slightly unnerved by the sheer intensity of the demon's gaze.

They moved over towards the center of the room, where Kaede was tending the fire, preparing lunch. Sesshoumaru followed behind, leaving Kagome's pack at the door. As they settled around the fire, Sesshoumaru sat down next to Kagome, closer than one would imagine him willing, noticed the three humans across from them. Shippo was too busy cuddling into Kagome's lap, all thoughts turned towards soaking up the scent of his foster mother. That is, until he noticed something. "Hey, Kagome, why is Sesshoumaru's scent all over you?"  "SAY WHAT!" a previously unconscious Inuyasha yelled. Kagome put both hands on her head and muttered something about a headache and Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her leg as covertly as possible, giving it a gentle squeeze. Sango, Miroku, and Kaede simply sat there, the youngest two with looks of astonishment, Kaede simply nodding her head as if she knew all along. Inuyasha was battering against the seals around him, obviously enraged. Shippo just looked around at everyone, wondering why adults had to be so melodramatic over something so simple as a smell.

An hour or two later, after an explanation of what had been going on, minus certain events, everyone, even Inuyasha, were clued in on most of what had happened over the past few days. As you can imagine, there were a few outburst from Inuyasha, who was quickly silenced by a glare from Sesshoumaru. When all was done and over with, Inuyasha went off to his forest. Sango and Miroku stayed with Kaede to help prepare medicines and the such for the coming winter. Kagome went off to one of to her favorite hill, where she would watch the village below, away from disruptive creatures, or as in this case, hanyous. Sesshoumaru had gone to find Rin and Jaken, saying he would find Kagome as soon as he found the both of them. Sadly peace would not be so easy to find for everyone to find.

In the forest, Inuyasha was lousing in his favorite tree, attempting to sort through various thoughts. He had been hoping that Kagome would come out of the well calm and relaxed, and accepting of the fact that she was Kikyo reincarnated, and ready to be happy with him. Instead, she had come back more defiant than ever, and in _love_ with his half-brother of all people. "_She has obviously been spelled,"_ whispered the voice in his head. And he agreed. How else could his evil half-brother get Kagome to love him when she was supposed to love him? But even when she wasn't spelled, she wouldn't love him like she was supposed to. It was as if something were wrong. _"She is flawed. Not as perfect as the original," _the voice whispered once again. And once again, Inuyasha accepted it's words as his own, trying to figure how he could make her perfect again. Obviously, he would somehow have to get the mud doll that thought she was Kikyo turned into the real Kikyo. _"She holds Kikyous soul. Give the doll back her soul, and she will be just as she was."_  But to get the soul from Kagome would mean Kagome would be soulless. And she would never agree to it. Which left only one way to do it. _"Kill her."_ Yes. Kill her. And with that, Inuyasha began his dark planning never noticing the pale girl with a mirror.

Naraku leaned back, satisfied with a day's good work. It had taken extreme patience, and delicate manipulations, but he had finally done it. Just a few days earlier, while trying to think of some way to get the shikon-no-tama, and then taint it so as to serve his needs, when suddenly, inspiration hit. That full Inuyasha was so easy to toy with because of his attachments to the mud doll that posed as Kikyou So why not use that to his advantage? It was even better when the idiot went and destroyed his relationship with the reincarnation. From then on, it had been so easy to manipulate his mind with Kanna's mirror. It had been his greatest joy watching him tear the reincarnation into pieces with his words. And while the Western Lord may have healed the wounds, it only served to make Inuyasha even easier to manipulate. Soon, Inuyasha would slay his friends, tainting the jewel with their blood. And then, in a move most beautiful, he would have Kanna undo the manipulations. How Naraku would relish the misery in Inuyasha as he realized what he did. Yes, it made him wonder why he didn't think of this earlier. It would have been so much fun if he had done it when they didn't even know of his presence. Oh well. With this final thought, Naraku began to prepare for a personal appearance near the end of this wonderful show.

Kagome sat on a hill overlooking the village, leaning back against a tree. She was currently wishing that she had brought some headache medicine with her. She had gotten a headache during the explanation, and it only seemed to be getting worse. She couldn't understand what it was from, for Inuyasha hadn't been that bad, and the things he did say didn't even really mean anything to her. She had actually been surprised at her self, for usually her temper would have blown at least once. Instead, she felt cool and controlled the whole time. She started to think over why this was before she was reminded how much thinking hard can make a head-ache worse, the remainder being the sudden painful throb in her head. Maybe it had something to do with the odd feeling about Inuyasha. It had been fairly easy to notice, yet every time she tried to focus on it, it disappeared. She could have sworn she had seen something like it before, yet for the sake of it all, she couldn't remember. She did know, however, that it wasn't a good thing, if there really was something there. 

Oh well, she would ask Sesshoumaru when he finally came back. She knew he knew where she was. She didn't know _how_ he knew, just that he did. She'd have to ask him about that to. For the past two or three days, she'd been noticing odd little things about the two of them. How one always seemed to know where the other was, the odd little change in each other's personality. Not only was Sesshoumaru showing a bit more emotion, at least around her anyways, she had noticed some slight changes in herself as well. She felt calmer, more at peace with the world away. She cozied up against the tree, closing her eyes. Yes, a little nap would do well. Sesshoumaru would wake her if anything big happened. Just before sleep toke her to the dream world, she felt a presence coming towards her. She snapped up as she focused on the demon. "It's Inuyasha, yet something feels… wrong," she thought, standing up, preparing herself for his arrival. The closer he got, the more her internal alarms kept going off. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew that something bad was about to happen. She was grateful that Kaede had suggested bringing her bow and arrows up with her to the hill for safety's sake, as she prepared it for firing, if necessary. She stood tall, her bow ready, as Inuyasha's presence came closer.

He, Sesshoumaru, desperately needed to get Kagome and himself to The Healer. It had taken up till now to realize it. He had thought that when they were in front of others, that when faced with the actual idea of showing these emotions in front of others, that the feelings inside of him would disappear as the novelties he had convinced himself that they were. But even when in front of the humans, they had almost intensified, especially his need to protect her from his half-brother. He knew this was extremely abnormal, this sudden change of personality. The longer he was with her, the more that he felt for her. The walls around his heart, hardened by years of apathy, had crumbled in minutes. No matter how hard he resisted, they continued to fill him, as if something deep inside were thriving off of the new warmth. The first few days with her had been the most intense, any attempts at holding back the feelings was batted aside like a stick in a raging river. Not that he had tried to resist that much at the time, for he had to admit, the feelings weren't that bad. "NO! I must learn how to control them. The minute the demons realized I have allowed myself to fall like his father, they will attempt to overthrow me, and I will not allow that to happen." And yet, he could never bring his legs to do what his mind commanded, for his heart had rather apparently become quite a bit stronger. 

The one thing that amazed him above all others was that the girl seemed wholly unaware of how drastically she was affecting him. She continued to heap her love upon him, despite his bloodline, despite who and what he was, and what he had done in the past. His thoughts wondered to the fact that he knew that she was on a hill, thinking over something, when she had said nothing of where she was going, and he had absolutely no idea if she would work, think or even sleep upon getting there. He simply knew. He pushed the thoughts aside as he came upon Rin playing with the village children. He stayed out of sight as he watched her play with the others, obviously enjoying herself. Yes, if it weren't for Rin, he probably would have never opened up to Kagome as he had. As he thought over the past few days and weeks, he noticed a strange sensation in is stomach. He only slightly noticed it, until suddenly, all his sense fired up, and his instincts screamed at him that danger was approaching. Trying to determine where from, a simple thought filtered through his mind. "Kagome." He realized it was Kagome who was in danger. Even before he settled entirely upon a plan, his legs began to run in the direction that his heart knew Kagome was at. As he came upon the hill, he saw her under attack by- **Inuyasha?!**


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Confused Betrayal And The Pity Of The Dead

She had already narrowly avoided being decapitated by Inuyasha, after which she shot her arrow and missed by mere inches. Afterwards, a battle had begun between the two, both evenly matched. Whereas Inuyasha was fighting as he usually did, Kagome was fight with an unusual amount of skill Not that Kagome had thought on this fact at all, busy attempting to avoid Inuyasha's claws. She also decided to shot first, ask questions later. She had already strung her next arrow and shot it at Inuyasha. Again, it missed by inches. This time, she got a good look at his face, and was internally surprised. It looked blank, void of all the usual emotions, not even a scowl. And the mysterious aura she had noticed earlier was now in full sight, a dark energy concentrated around his head. It was now that she realized that Inuyasha was under the influence of someone. "It'll have to wait until after he's subdued. Wait…why didn't think of this earlier?" Kagome thought. "Inuyasha, SIT!"

            She watched with a slight smirk to her face as the necklace he wore took its effect, pulling him towards the ground. What she wasn't expecting was for him to land on his feet, and actually resist the spell. "Okay, now I'm in trouble." She thought, reaching back to garb another arrow from her quiver… only to find she didn't have any more arrows. She was surprised only momentarily as she dodged another attack from Inuyasha. As she continued to barley manage to dodge attacks, from Inuyasha, Kagome was desperately thinking of some way to at least escape from him. "Miroku and Sango are still at the hut with Kaede, along with Shippo. Who knows if they'd even be able to help against him. The only one in the area who could really be a match for Inuyasha is Sesshoumaru, and probably isn't even aware of our fighting." Her thoughts were cut short as Inuyasha's claws grazed her shoulder, leaving scratches in her skin. The pain caused her to momentarily lose her step, causing her to stumble over. As she began to scramble to her feet, she felt Inuyasha going straight at her from behind, and odds were she wouldn't be able to move in time. "Sesshoumaru…I'm sorry." She thought, knowing that Sesshoumaru would be heartbroken, a tear welling up in her eye. Just as she thought she was going to die, she felt the air suddenly fly around here around her, as something warm picked her up. Already exhausted, she simply allowed unconsciousness to take her.

            He had recovered from his surprise quickly when he realized that Inuyasha very much intended to kill Kagome. This thought in itself set his blood afire with rage, but the fact that the very one who already betrayed her several times already added a feeling of disgust. He speed towards the battle, intending to make the Hanyou regret his foolish decision, confident that Kagome could hold him off till then. That is, until she stumbled over. As Inuyasha moved to finish her off, he, Sesshoumaru, for the first time in his life, felt total and complete rage. He speed up far beyond anything he had every reached before, whipping Kagome right from under Inuyasha, pulling her against his chest, any intentions of letting her go nowhere in sight. A growl was rumbling in his chest, and his eyes were tinged with red. The only thing keeping him from annihilating his brother right then and there with the Tetsusaiga was Inuyasha's eyes. They looked normal at first glance, but when one watched, it was if they were unfocused, or dazed. It was then he noticed the slight darkness about his aura, and the smell of one he had come to despise. Clearly, Naraku had performed some act upon Inuyasha, and Kagome had likely noticed this as well.  And despite what the idiot had done to her, Kagome still held affection for Inuyasha, and would not be happy if he was destroyed while possessed. 

            He wrapped his tail about Kagome and held her against his back, not willing to place her on the ground when Naraku may be nearby. With her safely out of harm's way, he preceded to attack Inuyasha. Without the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha was supposed to be weaker, yet he was moving faster and hitting harder than he ever had before. Either he had grown stronger, or Naraku's spell was enhancing his power. But despite his boost in power, Inuyasha was still not a match for Sesshoumaru. It only took a good ten minutes before Inuyasha was out cold on the ground. Turning around, Sesshoumaru faced the baboon-skin wearing man who had appeared on the edge of the battlefield. "Did you truly think the half-breed was a match for me, half-breed?" Sesshoumaru said to the man. Naraku merely chuckled darkly before tilting his head slightly. Sensing a sudden change in the wind, Sesshoumaru jumped, narrowly avoiding blades of wind. Kagura flew by quickly, pulling Inuyasha's limp form on her giant feather before flying off. Sesshoumaru began to give chase, but Naraku quickly began to fill the air with his poisonous Miasma. Backing away from the cloud of black vapors, Sesshoumaru cursed under his breath. He turned and began to head towards the village, sighting Kagome's allies coming from the village, having noticed the Baboon-man's aura. Silently, Sesshoumaru vowed to get Inuyasha away from Naraku. Despite his disliking of his half-brother, even he, Sesshoumaru, would not wish Naraku's cruelty upon him.

Deep within Naraku's castle, far away from the village, Inuyasha had already been chained up in the dungeon. Naraku was nearby constantly feeding his dark essence into Inuyasha's body, corrupting his body and soul. "You may not have been strong enough before, but after I'm through, you will be more than powerful enough." Naraku thought. He chuckled, images of the heartbreak and betrayal he would create. "This will be even better then when I tricked you two." Naraku spoke to one hiding in the shadows. The figure stepped forward as she replied, " I care little for your petty joys. Remember that Inuyasha is mine when he is done with your 'plan'." "But of course, Kikyo. And did you visit the dark-smith? I do hope he plans on finishing my special present to Inuyasha." Naraku said, a viscous grin beginning to spread on his face. "It will be delivered by the end of the week." Kikyo responded. Naraku's grin simply widened, glancing once more at the Hanyou chained to the wall before leaving, likely to plan the next attack. After he left, Kikyo walked up to Inuyasha limp form. She looked him over before placing her hand to the side of his head, a brief spark of energy flowing into the hanyou's head. Despite her hatred for him, even Kikyo was disgusted by the plan Naraku had, if simply because how similar it was to the one he used upon her and Inuyasha. And while her hate-filled body would always demand Inuyasha's death, she knew who was truly responsible, and he would be dead before she ever returned to hell with Inuyasha. Done with this part of her own plan, she too left Inuyasha alone in the darkness.

            Later that day, in a familiar village, Kagome began to come out of unconsciousness. "Where am I?" she wondered as her sleep fogged mind cleared away the cobwebs of tiredness. Her eyes snapped open as she remembered what had happened. She started to raise herself up only to feel nauseous. She would have flopped back down if it weren't for a warm hand under her back, gently lowering her to the bed again. "You shouldn't move so quickly, Kagome" spoke a familiar voice. Kagome turned her head to see Miroku and Kaede by the fire. Yet neither of the two were close enough to reach her. So she looked the other way to find that Sesshoumaru was lying with his back against the wall, Rin asleep in his lap. She caught his eye, and noticing the worry in them, started to ask what was the matter, only to be cut off as he said, "There is poison in your blood." Kagome became confused at the comment, and responded, "But Inuyasha doesn't have poison in his claws." She said out loud. "We believe Naraku's aura was so heavy about Inuyasha, that it served as the equivalent of poison on a blade. All it took was a cut to place the poison in your blood." Mirouku spoke, Kaede picking up after him. "We have been attempting to clean it from your body for most of the day, child." 

Kagome began to chew on this information, when she realized that someone was missing. "Where's Inuyasha?" There was silence for a few moments, before Sesshoumaru responded, "Naraku took him." Kagome's breath caught in her chest as she thought of the many things that could happen to Inuyasha in Naraku's hands. "We have to rescue him," she said, as she began to rise again, ignoring the protest of her body. She would've sat up straight if it weren't for the infuriatingly strong hand that forced her back down. "We will take you to the Healer first, then we will search for Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru spoke calmly. "Tonight, you will rest, for we are leaving in the morning." About to ask him the time, she noticed that it was dark outside. Her confusion mounting once again, she asked, "How long have I been asleep?" "Since the fight, Kagome. The poison slowed the closing of the wound, so you lost much blood." Miroku said. Kagome simply nodded her head to acknowledge she had heard. She closed her eyes as she felt exhausted suddenly. As sleep began to take her into the land of dreams, she thought sadly, "Inuyasha…. "

Morning came slowly for those who watched over Kagome. What they had not told her is that she had not stopped bleeding since the battle. All they had been able to do is slow the bleeding with herbs, and tightly cover the wound with bandages. Sesshoumaru actually moved to sleep outside the door of the hut about midnight, the smell of blood becoming overwhelming for one with such a strong sense of smell. But when one considered how much blood he had likely spilled in his lifetime, one might suspect it had to do more with whose blood it was he smelled. When morning did come, those within the hut decided that Sesshoumaru would take Kagome as quickly as possible to the Healer, while Miroku, Sango, and Rin would follow, riding Kiara. As Sesshoumaru had been about to take off, Shippou had leaped on his shoulder, wanting to go with Kagome. Sesshoumaru, impatient to leave, simply nodded and took off into the air, the rest of the group following behind.


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Revelations, And The Plans Of Darkness 

            Sesshoumaru rested next to the bed as he had the first time, listening to Kagome's heartbeat. Shippou was curled up next to her side, taking comfort in her nearness. The two humans and Rin were resting in rooms provided by the Healer, having arrived earlier. And on the bed, Kagome rested, once again having been purged of a dark poison, just as she had the first time. Sesshoumaru raised his hand and was just about to stroke her face, when someone cleared their throat behind him. He put is hand back to his side faster than the human eye could perceive, as he stood and quietly greeted the Healer. He was perfectly willing to take Kagome as his beloved, if she wished it, but he would prefer to keep it known from the rest of the demon world until he dealt with Naraku. Sesshoumaru followed the Healer when she motioned for him to follow her. 

            Down several tunnels they went, and made so many turns that even Sesshoumaru had lost track of where they were. Finally, they arrived in a room filled with many different crystals. And for the first time, Sesshoumaru felt nervous. Something about this room just felt… odd. The air in the room seemed to tingle in a way that felt dangerous, yet wasn't. "Welcome to my room of souls. Not that I keep many here," spoke the Healer, pulling Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. "Why did you bring me here?" Sesshoumaru asked. "To show you something… interesting I noticed the first time you and the girl first came here. Touch this gem here, and you will see what I speak off." As she spoke she, she put a clear diamond bigger than Sesshoumaru's own head. "And what would this gem do exactly?" Sesshoumaru asked as he regarded the gem warily. Though the jewel didn't _feel _evil, he had learned through the ages that most magical objects didn't at first. "Nothing that would harm the Lord of the West, I assure you", the Healer said, sounding sincere. Ultimately, Sesshoumaru touched the gem, only to be stunned by what happened.

            One minute he was looking at the crystal, the next, his view changed, almost as if he was looking through another's eyes. He saw himself and the healer in the room of souls, yet in a way not normal. Around there bodies he saw and aura of some sort, the healers a white tinged with blue on the edges, with the general feeling of age. The aura about his own body was a dark red with several blotches of lighter red, with white and pink meshed amongst the red. Even more interesting was the chain like beam going from him to another out of sight. Using his own will, he followed the chain to the room where Kagome rested, where the chain meshed into her. Kagome's own aura flared about her a bright white, emanating power. As he came closer to her, he began to feel at peace, as her own aura began to calm, revealing several holes in her aura, almost as if they were missing, and several marks of dark red, much like his own aura. And then, he was looking through his own eyes again.

            "Interesting, was it not?" Asked the healer as Sesshoumaru eyes readjusted themselves. "What was that?" Sesshoumaru asked. "That was the appearance of our souls." "Explain." The Healer smirked at the blunt demand before responding. "My own was white due to the healing magic I often use; whereas yours was a dark red due to your serious nature, the blotches of pink and white signify that others of a lighter nature are influencing you. Kagome's was pure white because of the sheer strength of her miko powers, whereas as the holes are from others stealing parts of her soul, and the red is from the healing of another. Yours specifically." "I have done no spells that would influence her." Sesshoumaru said, following the Healer as she left the room. The Healer paused before replying, "The instincts of dog-demons are rather curious. Did you know that some dog-demons instinctively begin a certain level of bonding before they consciously join one another?" "What does that have to do with Kagome?" Sesshoumaru already had an idea of where this was going, but he was not one to presume. "You and Kagome are bonded," the Healer said, waiting for a reaction. Seeing none, the Healer continued. "I noticed it the first time you brought her here. At the time it was rather weak, It's effect on the two of you unnoticeable. Right now though, the bond is having far more noticeable effects. Odds are you've been feeling things you've never felt before, or acted in ways that you had never though yourself able to." Thinking back to when they had first admitted their feelings, the almost overwhelming surge of emotions seemed to make sense to Sesshoumaru. 

            "At this moment, the bond is balancing both of you, preparing the two of you for a life together. Already, Kagome likely already has a lengthened life, likely equal to yours. Even I can not tell what else it shall do to the two of you. All things considered, it shall most certainly be interesting." Sesshoumaru simply nodded, taking note that they had arrived back in the main room. "I would rest when you, Sesshoumaru. Although I do not fully this Naraku's abilities, simply from what I have heard I can tell you that your brother is in very dangerous hands. There is no telling what the plans to do with him." Sesshoumaru simply gave the slightest of nods before walking away, moving towards Kagome's bedside. The Healer watched as Sesshoumaru sat down by Kagome and fell into a very light sleep. The healer simply shook her head before leaving the room and muttered some thing along the lines of "Kids these days" as she left the room.

            Someplace else, in the dungeon of a dark castle, a dark plan was nearing its completion. "Ah, this is indeed a fine piece of craftsmanship. And exactly to my specifications as well," Naraku said as he studied the blade he held in his hands. "Yes, well, it was not easy. Many of the ingredients necessary are quite hard to find, and I often had to part with rather precious items of my own to barter for them. Since you are pleased with the results, I believe it is time to discuss payment," spoke the odd looking creature bowed before Naraku. Naraku stood up and began to leave, stopping only long enough to say, "Kagura, give the man his payment." "Yes Lord Naraku," Kagura replied, a small smirk on her face as she got out her fan. Naraku smirked darkly as he heard the screams from the throne room. 

            As Naraku approached the dungeon, he began to mentally prepare the spell that would bind the sword to his newest… guest. He began to hear the moans from Inuyasha as yet another spell wove it way through his body, settling into place besides the other enchantments placed upon him. Naraku observed the creature before him, barely recognizable from it's former self. "More grotesque than most of my works, wouldn't you say Kikyo?" Naraku spoke to the hidden miko. Kikyo remained silent as she watched Naraku finish the spell on Inuyasha, quietly observing the nature of the spell, placing it deep in her memory. "Yes, I do believe Inuyasha is ready for a test run, don't you?"

            Twenty minutes later, at a village near Naraku's fortress, the people went about their normal business. Suddenly, a black wave of energy smashed into the ground just outside the village, flowing into the village, blinding the site of any who observed with a black light. When those who survived opened their eyes, they were greeted with a horrible sight. Not only had the village been destroyed, but dead. The very life that once filled the ground was gone, the ground left black and cracked. Any plant life surrounding the village had withered and died, and where there had been any humans or animals were left skeletons. Those few left from the blast would have entered to find any survivors, were it not for there deaths as a creature that moved faster than the eyes ran in and killed them all one by one. As the creature stopped moving after killing the last one, a man in a baboon skin appeared next to it's head. He observed the destruction caused within those short ten minutes, than turned and spoke to the creature. "I expect you to be quicker with the next village, or there will be punishment for you. Is this understood, Inuyasha?" The creature called Inuyasha simply nodded its head, before taking off into the forest, letting loose a howl as he sped to his next kill. Naraku stayed a bit longer, a chuckle escaping from his mouth, raising into a full blown maniacal laughter, before he disappeared.


End file.
